Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Nearby Words

guelf

 - 3 dictionary results

Guelph

  [gwelf]
Use guelf in a Sentence
–noun
1. a member of the political party in medieval Italy and Germany that supported the sovereignty of the papacy against the German emperors: opposed to the Ghibellines.
2. a member of a secret society in Italy in the early 19th century that opposed foreign rulers and reactionary ideas.
Also, Guelf.

Origin:
1570–80; < It Guelfo < MHG Welf name of founder of a princely German family

Related forms:
Guelphic, Guelfic, adjective
Guelphism, Guelfism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To guelf
Guelph 2 also Guelf   (gwělf)   
n.  A member of a strong faction in medieval Italy that supported the power of the pope and the city-states in a struggle against the German emperors and the Ghibellines.

[Italian Guelfo, from Middle High German Welf, name of the founder of a German princely family.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

Guelph 
1579, from It. Guelfo, from O.H.G. Welf, name of a princely family that became the ducal house of Brunswick, lit. "whelp," originally the name of the founder. One of the two great parties in medieval It. politics, characterized by support of the popes against the emperors (opposed to the Ghibellines). They are the ancestors of the present dynasty of Great Britain. The name is said to have been used as a war-cry at the Battle of Weinsberg (1140) by partisans of Henry the Lion, duke of Bavaria, who was of the family, against Emperor Conrad III; hence it was adopted in Italy as the name of the anti-imperial party.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see guelf on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way