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alderman
[ awl-der-muhn ]
/ ËÉl dÉr mÉn /
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noun, plural al·der·men.
a member of a municipal legislative body, especially of a municipal council.
(in England) one of the members, chosen by the elected councilors, in a borough or county council.
Early English History.
- a chief.
- (later) the chief magistrate of a county or group of counties.
Northern U.S. Slang. a pot belly.
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Origin of alderman
usage note for alderman
Is alderman gender-neutral? See -man.
OTHER WORDS FROM alderman
al·der·man·cy, al·der·man·ship, nounal·der·man·ic [awl-der-man-ik], /ËÉl dÉrËmĂŠn ÉȘk/, adjectiveun·der·al·der·man, noun, plural un·der·al·der·men.Words nearby alderman
al dente, alder, alder buckthorn, alderfly, alder flycatcher, alderman, aldermanry, Aldermaston, Alderney, alderperson, Aldershot
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use alderman in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for alderman
alderman
/ (ËÉËldÉmÉn) /
noun plural -men
(in England and Wales until 1974) one of the senior members of a local council, elected by other councillors
(in the US, Canada, Australia, etc) a member of the governing body of a municipality
history a variant spelling of ealdorman
Abbreviations (for senses 1, 2): Ald, Aldm
Derived forms of alderman
aldermanic (ËÉËldÉËmĂŠnÉȘk), adjectivealdermanry, nounaldermanship, nounWord Origin for alderman
Old English aldormann, from ealdor chief (comparative of eald old) + mann 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
Cultural definitions for alderman
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 New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.