duchy
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
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, -ate 3
Explanation
If you are a duke or a duchess, the country or territory you rule is called a duchy. England's Prince Charles is the current Duke of Cornwall and symbolically reigns over a duchy that includes Cornwall and the surrounding area. The term duchy is mainly historical and almost always refers to European territories. Over the years, many dukes and duchesses have ruled over duchies, while others have maintained honorary titles without any real power. Grand duchies were small, sovereign countries ruled by a grand duke or grand duchess. Today, the only remaining grand duchy is Luxembourg, symbolically ruled by Grand Duke Henri, who has limited governmental powers.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But former Home Office minister and a critic of royal finances Norman Baker said the duchy would still be a "royal fruit machine... he pulls the handle and gets a jackpot every time".
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
Prince William has a project to tackle homelessness, Homewards, and there are plans for the duchy to provide an extra 12,000 homes by 2040.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
In this competition, Philip understood that wine, with the trade revenue and prestige it brought to him and his duchy, was a most valuable currency.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2024
Scatterings of Gamay survived in reduced form, with many of its vines exiled to Beaujolais, an area south of the duchy.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2024
No one, not even Mother, crossed her in the duchy of her kitchen.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
The two duchies are exempt from corporation tax, but the King and Prince William voluntarily pay income tax on the revenue they generate.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2025
In the 16th century rulers across Europe introduced new laws to make sorcery punishable by death—and the trials moved from ecclesiastical to secular courts, such as in duchies and towns.
From Scientific American ● May 31, 2023
“Stuff like having fewer people on the balcony — it’s all around the edges. The Sovereign Grant and the duchies are the meat of the issue.”
From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2023
Together, the two duchies bankroll more than a dozen members of the family, supplementing a taxpayer grant of 82 million pounds last year reserved for official duties and the upkeep of several palaces.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2020
Two of them founded the considerable duchies of Spoleto and Benevento, the one in Central, and the other in Southern Italy.
From The Byzantine Empire by Oman, Charles William Chadwick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
