(generally called Nabob). Corruption of the Hindu word
nawab, the plural of naib. An administrator of a province
and commander of the Indian army under the Mogul Empire. These men
acquired great wealth and lived in Eastern splendour, so that they gave
rise to the phrase, “Rich as the nawâb,” corrupted into “Rich as a
nabob. ” In England we apply the phrase to a merchant who has
attained great wealth in the Indies, and has returned to live in his
native country.
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