Anglo-Indian. Also 7–9 subidar, 8 sabahadaur, 9 sou-, soo-, subadar, etc. [Urdu çūbahdār, f. SUBAH + Pers. dār possessor, master.]
1. A governor of a subah or province. Also, ‘a local commandant or chief officer’ (Y.).
1698. Fryer, Acc. E. India & P., 77. The Subidar of this Town being a Person of Quality.
1796. Morse, Amer. Geog., II. 532. Twelve grand divisions, and each was committed to the government of a Soobadar or Viceroy.
1858. J. B. Norton, Topics, 18. The chief of Secundra Rao … has … proclaimed himself Subadar, or governor, for the King of Delhi, of all the country between these towns and Allahabad.
1881. Encycl. Brit., XII. 796/1. The title of subahdar, or viceroy, gradually dropped into desuetude, as the paramount power was shaken off.
2. The chief native officer of a company of sepoys.
1747. (MS. in India Office) in Yule & Burnell, Hobson-Jobson, s.v., That … in a day or two they shall despatch another Subidar with 129 more Sepoys to our assistance.
1788. Gentl. Mag., LVIII. 68/1. A second flag, with a Sabahadaur and two Havildars, was sent in.
1841. Penny Cycl., XXI. 256/2. From 1748 to 1766 the sepoys were in separate companies of 100 each, commanded by subadars, or native captains, though under the superintendence of Europeans.
1890. Kipling, Departm. Ditties (ed. 4), 79. And there’s Subadar Prag Tewarri Who tells how the work was done.
b. attrib.: subahdar-major, the native commandant of a regiment of sepoys.
1819. in Engl. Hist. Rev. (1913), April, 269. A brevet pay of 25 rupees per month is annexed to the Commission of Subadar-Major.
1849. Eastwick, Dry Leaves, 80. The regiment shewed stronger excitement on this occasion of the arrest of their Subedár Major. Ibid. (1857), Autobiog. Lutfullah, vi. 185. A Súbahdár Major pensioner.
