aldermen
dər noun, plural al·der·men.
1.
a member of a municipal legislative body, especially of a municipal council.
2.
(in England) one of the members, chosen by the elected councilors, in a borough or county council.
3.
Early English History.
a.
a chief.
b.
(later) the chief magistrate of a county or group of counties.
4.
Northern U.S. Slang. a pot belly.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To aldermen
00:10
Aldermen
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
alderman (ˈɔːldəmən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -men | |
| 1. | (in England and Wales until 1974) one of the senior members of a local council, elected by other councillors |
| 2. | (in the US, Canada, Australia, etc) a member of the governing body of a municipality |
| 3. | history a variant spelling of ealdorman |
| [Old English aldormann, from ealdor chief (comparative of eald | |
| aldermanic | |
| —adj | |
| 'aldermanry | |
| —n | |
| 'aldermanship | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
alderman
O.E. aldormonn (Mercian), ealdormann (W.Saxon), from aldor, ealder "patriarch" (comparative of ald "old") + monn, mann "man." A relic of the days when the elders were automatically in charge of the clan or tribe, but already in O.E. used for king's viceroys, regardless of age. The word yielded in O.E.
to eorl, and after the Norman Conquest to count (n.). Meaning "headman of a guild" (1130) passed to "magistrate of a city" (c.1200) as the guilds became identified with municipal government.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
alderman [(awl-duhr-muhn)]A member of a city council. Aldermen usually represent city districts, called wards, and work with the mayor to run the city government. Jockeying among aldermen for political influence is often associated with machine politics.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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