An Indian English term for a doorkeeper, gatekeeper, or palace guard, particularly in historical or formal contexts.
From Hindi/Urdu 'chapdār,' from 'chap' (seal/stamp) plus '-dār' (holder/keeper), originally referring to an official with a seal.
Colonial Indian English preserved job titles that have otherwise vanished—'chopdar' captures a whole historical world of palace hierarchies and bureaucratic systems now only found in these borrowed words!
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