Comprador
[kom-prə-DOR]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Portuguese, 17th century
1.
A person within a country who acts as an agent for foreign organizations engaged in investment, trade, or economic or political exploitation.
Examples of Comprador in a sentence
"Before we sold our house, we made arrangements with a comprador in Belize who helped organize our accommodations there."
"We wanted to expand the business overseas, but we had to hire a comprador to help us make sense of the European regulations first."
About Comprador
“Comprador” is taken from Portuguese, based on the roots “comprar” (meaning “to buy”) and the suffix “-dor” (meaning “agent”).
Did you Know?
In its earliest history, the term “comprador” was associated with Europe’s colonial era: A comprador was a local person in a colonized country who helped representatives of the colonizing European power make their way in a society that was foreign to them. That sense of the term has fallen away. Today a “comprador” is simply another word for “intermediary” or “middleman,” usually in a business venture. However, a comprador is more than a simple go-between, because in addition to connecting businesspeople and setting up deals, they also boast the skill of translating the language and culture of a foreign land.
