Anglo-Ind. Forms: α. 7 vakill, vekill, -ile, -ell, vikil, vicle, 8 vekil, 9 vakil, vakíl. β. 7– vakeel (7 fakeel), 7 vickeele, 7–8 vack-, vekeel. [a. Urdū (Pers. Arab.) vakīl, wakīl: cf. WAKEEL.]
1. An agent or representative, esp. one representing a person of political importance either permanently or on a special occasion; a minister, envoy, or ambassador.
α. 1622. in Foster, Eng. Factories Ind. (1908), II. 11. Two coppyes, to the Governour of this place and his owne vekile. Ibid., 69. Receaved two letters of Isacke Beages to Assuff Chon, and the other to his vekill.
1682. W. Hedges, Diary (Hakl. Soc.), I. 35. The Dutch Director’s Vakill.
1687. A. Lovell, trans. Thevenot’s Trav., II. 171. Through the bad Conduct of the Vikil, he was necessitated to reimbark.
1844. H. H. Wilson, Brit. India, II. 283. Terms … were proposed, and the Vakils returned with them to the Bai.
1870. Sir W. W. Hunter, in Life (1901), xi. 182. His Vakil or representative told me the story of the sunken fortunes of the family.
β. 1623. in Foster, Eng. Factories Ind. (1908), II. 397. That hereafter the Kings people may recoure it from the vickeeles of Agha Reza. Ibid. (1624), (1909), III. 30. Their vackeels at Court is to accquaint the King thereof.
1692. J. Ovington, Voy. Suratt, 415. November the 1st, arriv’d a Pattamar or Courrier, from our Fakeel, or Sollicitor at Court.
1763. Scrafton, Indostan (1770), 74. He was determined to fall on us, and turned our vacqueel out of the durbar.
1776. Trial of Nundocomar, 24/2. He was Vakeel of Bollakey Doss, and executed whatever business he ordered.
1803. Edmonstone, in Owen, Wellesley’s Desp. (1877), 322. Duplicates have been delivered to the Vakeels of those chiefs at the Presidency for transmission to their principals.
1878. Earl Lytton, Lett. (1906), II. 57. The Amir undertook to keep a vakeel at Peshawur.
2. A native attorney or barrister; a pleader in the Hindu law-courts.
1858. Simmonds, Dict. Trade, Vakeel, a native attorney in India.
1887. Pall Mall G., 12 July, 13/2. An official known as the poor man’s vakeel, whose duty it is to see that every prisoner … shall be represented in court by a competent counsellor.
1890. Kipling, City Dreadf. Nt., 15. He looks like a vakil to the boot-heels, and, with his unvarying smile and regulated gesticulation, recalls memories of upcountry courts.
