Zamindari

noun (also used attributively as an adjective, e.g. "the zamindari system")

/zəˈmiːndɑːri/

A system of landholding and revenue collection in which zamindars (landlords) held proprietary rights over land and were responsible for paying a fixed revenue to the colonial government.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The Permanent Settlement of 1793 entrenched the zamindari system across Bengal, vesting absolute proprietary rights in intermediaries and reducing the actual tiller to a rent-paying tenant, which is why post-Independence land reforms made zamindari abolition the first decisive step towards an equitable agrarian order.

Synonyms

landlordismlanded proprietorshipfeudal land tenuremalguzarijagirdarilanded estate

Antonyms

ryotwaripeasant proprietorshipmahalwariland-to-the-tiller tenure

🌱 Word Family

zamindar (n), zamindars (n pl), zamindari (n/adj), zamindari system (n phrase)

🔡 Root

Persian zamīn = land + dār = holder + Urdu/Hindi -ī = noun suffix; first in English c. 1757

📜 Etymology

Hindi and Urdu zamīndārī, from Persian zamīn ("land") + dār ("holder") + -ī (noun suffix); first recorded use in English c. 1757.

🧠 Memory Hook

Break it down: zamin ("land" — think "the zamin/ground you stand on") + dar ("holder") + -i ("system of") = the system where a landholder controls the land. Picture a "Z-A-MIN-er" mining revenue from the land he holds.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2024 — Modern India

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Zamindari” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

🏛️ History & Culture 📖 Seen in: British Land Revenue & Economic Polici...

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