Nabob

A nabob /ˈneɪbɒb/ is an Anglo-Indian term for a conspicuously wealthy man who made his fortune in the Orient, especially in the Indian subcontinent.

The word is either a borrowing directly from Hindustani nawāb/navāb/nabāb (via Persian from Arabic nuwwāb), encountered during British colonial rule in India, or indirectly via Portuguese nababo. The Portuguese nababo is a possibility because the Portuguese developed a presence in India before the British.

The word entered colloquial usage in England from 1612. Native Europeans used "nabob" to refer to those who returned from India after having made a fortune there.

The European perception of a "nabob" was of a person who having become wealthy in a foreign country, often India or the Indian subcontinent, returned to Europe with considerable power and influence. In England, the name was applied to men who made fortunes working for the East India Company and, on their return home, used the wealth to purchase seats in Parliament.

A common fear was that these individuals – the nabobs, their agents, and those who took their bribes – would use their wealth and influence to corrupt Parliament. The collapse of the Company's finances in 1772 due to bad administration, both in India and Britain, aroused public indignation towards the Company's activities and the behaviour of the Company's employees.

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