ataman

[ at-uh-muhn ]

noun,plural at·a·mans.
  1. the elected chief of a Cossack village or military force.

Origin of ataman

1
1825–35; <Russian atamán,Old Russian vatamanŭ, probably alteration of a Turkic word with the personal suffix -man; identity of initial element disputed

Words Nearby ataman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ataman in a sentence

  • The decision maker turned out to be a gray-haired Cossack ataman, or commander, in a traditional sheepskin hat.

  • I should have had to knuckle down very submissively to some ataman, or bully, and this I was not willing to do.

    Tramping with Tramps | Josiah Flynt
  • They live there in dirty little cabins and underground caves, a close community with its ataman and common funds.

    Tramping with Tramps | Josiah Flynt
  • The son of the head man of our village (the ataman), took his place next to him with a harmonica.

    Our Little Cossack Cousin | F. A. Postnikov
  • I heard the village ataman, the head man of our village, say to him in a slow, persuasive voice.

    Our Little Cossack Cousin | F. A. Postnikov

British Dictionary definitions for ataman

ataman

/ (ˈætəmən) /


nounplural -mans
  1. an elected leader of the Cossacks; hetman

Origin of ataman

1
from Russian, from Polish hetman, from German Hauptmann (literally: head man)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012