east india company

noun

1. the company chartered by the English government in 1600 to carry on trade in the East Indies: dissolved in 1874.
2. any similar company, as one chartered by the Dutch (1602–1798), the French (1664–1769), or the Danes (1729–1801).

noun

1. the company chartered in 1600 by the British government to trade in the East Indies: after being driven out by the Dutch, it developed trade with India until the Indian Mutiny (1857), when the Crown took over the administration: the company was dissolved in 1874
2. any similar trading company, such as any of those founded by the Dutch, French, and Danes in the 17th and 18th centuries