comprador

com·pra·dor
C3O1M3P3R1A1D2O1R1
/kɒm.pɹəˈdɔɹ//kɒm.pɹəˈdɔː/

noun

An intermediary.

“the comprador class”

OriginPortuguese comprador ← Late Latin comparator ← Latin comparō →
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Meanings

nouncomprador (plural compradors)

plural compradors

  1. An intermediary.
  2. A native of a colonised country who acts as the agent of the coloniser.

    the comprador class

  3. nauticalA ship chandler in the Far East.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
gusano

Origin

  1. Latincomparō“to buy”
  2. Late Latincomparator
  3. Portuguesecomprador“buyer”
  4. Englishcomprador

From Portuguese comprador (“buyer”), from Late Latin comparator, from Latin comparō (“to buy”), from con- (“with”) + paro (“to furnish”). In Far East, originally applied to native servants in European households, later to native managers in European businesses.

More words from Portuguese, Late Latin, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 買辦 /买办
  • 買辦 /买办 (mǎibàn)native of a colonised country who acts as the agent of the coloniser
Finnish kollaboraattori
  • kollaboraattorinative of a colonised country who acts as the agent of the coloniser
Japanese 買弁
  • 買弁 (baiben)native of a colonised country who acts as the agent of the coloniser
Cite this entry
APA

comprador. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/comprador

MLA

“comprador.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/comprador. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “comprador,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/comprador.

Source: comprador on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.