comprador

Where does the word "comprador" come from? It comes from Portuguese comprador, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Comprador’s story begins in Portuguese: comprador meant “buyer, purchasing agent.” 'buyer', from comprar 'to buy'; in Portuguese Macau it named the local steward who bought a household's provisions. It reached English by 1800s as comprador. Every Western firm on the China coast relied on a Chinese comprador; Robert Ho Tung rose to be Jardine Matheson's chief comprador in the 1890s, and Mao's 1926 essay on China's classes attacked the 'comprador' class. Today, comprador means a local agent serving a foreign business; someone seen as serving foreign interests.

1. Stage 1 · Portuguese · 1500s comprador "buyer, purchasing agent", 'buyer', from comprar 'to buy'; in Portuguese Macau it named the local steward who bought a household's provisions.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s comprador "native agent of a foreign firm", every Western firm on the China coast relied on a Chinese comprador; Robert Ho Tung rose to be Jardine Matheson's chief comprador in the 1890s, and Mao's 1926 essay on China's classes attacked the 'comprador' class.