Gomasta

/ɡoʊˈmɑːstə/ noun

Definition

A variant spelling of gomashta; an Indian business manager or agent employed by European trading companies in colonial India.

Etymology

Alternate spelling of gomashta, from Hindi gumasta; the variant spelling reflects different transliteration methods from Devanagari script to English in colonial records.

Kelly Says

The inconsistent spelling of this word in old East India Company documents—gomasta, gomashta, gumasta—is a perfect example of how English colonizers struggled to standardize Indian vocabulary before standardized dictionaries existed.

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