dignitary
[dig-ni-ter-ee]
- a person who holds a high rank or office, as in the government or church.
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Origin of dignitary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for dignitary
Contemporary Examples
Many of them, such as a visiting French dignitary fresh off a plane from Paris at the age of 103, proved that 90 is the new 30.
Historical Examples
But what dignitary is this crossing from the other side to greet the governor?
Main StreetNathaniel Hawthorne
He passed the knife on to the dignitary who stood behind his chair.
The Leopard WomanStewart Edward White
His grandfather (I think) was a dignitary of a kind, the Syndic of the Pilots.
Some ReminiscencesJoseph Conrad
A dignitary, as you call it, is not to see his child robbed of her rights.
Is He Popenjoy?Anthony Trollope
No ordinary King's messenger, then, but some dignitary of the Court.
Long Live the KingMary Roberts Rinehart
dignitary
- a person of high official position or rank, esp in government or the church
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for dignitary
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper