In Hong Kong, if not the rest of South East Asia the word shroff has come to refer to the office of a multistory or underground pay parking service. Land is at a premium in the downtown areas, so this is the only economical way to allow any kind of parking at all.

Shroff is also an Indian name (the word is Hindi) and the (potentially apocryphal) story goes that in India there is (or was) a businessman named Shroff who became wealthy by starting a pay parking service. The word became generic (like linoleum, which was originally a brand name) and was exported. Again, this story may be apocryphal.

Shroff (?), n. [Ar. sarraf.]

A banker, or changer of money.

[East Indies]

 

© Webster 1913.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.