A manager, steward, or business agent employed by a European trading company in India, typically an Indian or mixed-race official.
From Hindi/Urdu gumashta, derived from Persian gumāsh-tah (assigned or commissioned person), composed of gumāsh (commission) + -tah (agent); entered English through the East India Company during the 17th century.
The gomashta was often the real power broker between European merchants and Indian suppliers—they spoke both languages, understood both cultures, and controlled the flow of goods, yet history books barely mention them.
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