Sirdar (redirected from sirdars)

Sirdar 

(Persian; also sardar). (1) In the Ottoman Empire, the title of the commander of a field army.

(2) In Egypt during the period of British rule, a British officer commanding the army of the khedive.

(3) In Iran and Afghanistan, an influential high official, the head of a tribe; in such cases, “sirdar” is sometimes incorporated into the person’s name.

(4) In India, a title common among Sikhs of the Jat caste; before the British conquest of the Punjab in 1849, Sikh military leaders and representatives of the Sikh feudal stratum, such as members of the ruling dynasty and the governors of districts, were called sirdars.