duchy

[ duhch-ee ]

/ ˈdʌtʃ i /

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noun, plural duch·ies.

the territory ruled by a duke or duchess.

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Origin of duchy

1350–1400; Middle English duche<Middle French duche;Anglo-French, Old French duchié<Medieval Latin ducātus;Late Latin, Latin: the rank or functions of a dux; see duke, -ate³

Words nearby duchy

duchess, duchesse, duchesse bed, duchesse brisée, duchess potatoes, duchy, duck, duck and drake, duckbill, duck-billed dinosaur, duck-billed platypus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use duchy in a sentence

The Queen also receives income from the Queen’s Privy Purse, the profits of a private estate known as the Duchy of Lancaster, which covers over 18,000 hectares of land and dates back to 1399.
Who's Paying Prince Andrew's $16 Million Settlement to Virginia Giuffre? What to Know About Royal Finances|Eloise Barry|February 17, 2022|Time
The family’s income was further supplemented by personal funds from the Queen’s private estate, the Duchy of Lancaster, and Prince Charles’s estate, the Duchy of Cornwall, as well as the Royal Collection of art.
Meghan Markle Calls the British Royals 'The Firm.' Here's Why|Raisa Bruner|March 9, 2021|Time
The Pahonia, emblem of the Belarusian nation drawn from the insignia of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, is banned under Lukashenko.
Forget Kim Jong Un—China’s New Favorite Dictator Is Belarus’s Aleksandr Lukashenko.|Kapil Komireddi|January 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It relies on the Duchy to provide it with accurate information without carrying out its own independent checks.
Report Published on Prince Charles's Tax Affairs|Tom Sykes|November 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST

It also criticised the lack of official scrutiny of the Duchy's account.
Report Published on Prince Charles's Tax Affairs|Tom Sykes|November 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Well, the Prince last year received an annual income from the Duchy of £19m, on which he paid £4.4m in income tax and VAT.
MP: Prince Charles Pays Less Tax Than His Servants|Tom Sykes|July 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He will also lose the massive income from the lands held by the Duchy of Cornwall, which currently provide some of their funding.
Charles Charities Face Funding Crisis|Tom Sykes|June 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As Foreign Minister, by simply taking what he wanted, he added considerably to the extent of his duchy.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
On her death the duchy of Brabant passed, by a family arrangement, to the House of Burgundy.
Belgium|George W. T. (George William Thomson) Omond
You are right as to yourself, Albert; for they have given you the ancient title and duchy of de Retz.
Catherine de' Medici|Honore de Balzac
Saxony had recovered her independence, the peoples of Dantzic and the duchy of Warsaw their country and their rights.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte|William Milligan Sloane
In order to populate the new port, he proclaimed there a religious liberty he denied to his Duchy at large.
Florence and Northern Tuscany with Genoa|Edward Hutton

British Dictionary definitions for duchy

duchy

/ (ˈdʌtʃɪ) /

noun plural duchies

the territory of a duke or duchess; dukedom

Word Origin for duchy

C14: from Old French duche, from duc duke

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