alderman
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al·der·man
(ôl′dər-mən)n.
1. A member of the municipal legislative body in a town or city in many jurisdictions.
2. A member of the higher branch of the municipal or borough council in England and Ireland before 1974.
3.
a. A noble of high rank or authority in Anglo-Saxon England.
b. The chief officer of a shire in Anglo-Saxon England.
[Middle English, a person of high rank, from Old English ealdorman : ealdor, elder, chief (from eald, old; see al- in Indo-European roots) + man, man; see man.]
al′der·man·cy (-sē) n.
al′der·man′ic (-măn′ĭk) adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
alderman
(ˈɔːldəmən)n, pl -men
Abbreviations (for senses 1, 2): Ald or Aldm 1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (in England and Wales until 1974) one of the senior members of a local council, elected by other councillors
2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (in the US, Canada, Australia, etc) a member of the governing body of a municipality
3. (Historical Terms) history a variant spelling of ealdorman
[Old English aldormann, from ealdor chief (comparative of eald old) + mann man]
aldermanic adj
ˈaldermanry n
ˈaldermanˌship n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
al•der•man
(ˈɔl dər mən)n., pl. -men.
1. (in the U.S., Canada, and Australia) a member of a municipal legislative body, esp. of a municipal council.
2. (in England) one of the members, chosen by the elected councilors, in a borough or county council.
3. (in medieval England)
a. a chief.
b. (later) the chief magistrate of a county or group of counties.
[before 900; Old English (e)aldormann=ealdor chief, patriarch (eald old + -or n. suffix) + mann man]
al`der•man′ic (-ˈmæn ɪk) adj.
usage: See -man.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  alderman - a member of a municipal legislative body (as a city council); "aldermen usually represent city wards"representative - a person who represents others |
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