[Hindī chaprāsī the bearer of a chaprās or official badge.] A wearer of an official badge; spec. an attendant, messenger, or henchman, occupying an important position in the households of Indian landowners.
1828. Heber, Indian Jrnls. (1861), II. xxv. 104. In our way we were met by twenty chuprasses.
1845. Stocqueler, Handbk. Brit. India (1854), 119. The … chuprassy … or messenger, carries letters, runs by palankeens, stands behind carriages, and is altogether a functionary of consequence.
1883. F. M. Crawford, Mr. Isaacs, i. 9. I wended my way through verandahs and corridors, preceded by a chuprassie.
