ealdorman

Or eal·der·man

[awl-der-muhn]

noun

Obsolete.

plural

ealdormen 

1. obsolete spellings of alderman.

ealdorman

/ ˈɔːldəmən /

noun

1. an official of Anglo-Saxon England, appointed by the king, who was responsible for law, order, and justice in his shire and for leading his local fyrd in battle

Word History and Origins

Origin of ealdorman¹

Old English ealdor lord + _man

Example Sentences

The British actor was best known for playing rich ealdorman Aethelhelm in Netflix historical series The Last Kingdom and steward Cornelius Penge in ITV royal drama Victoria.

From BBC

Meanwhile Lady Ragna, daughter of a Norman lord, has the misfortune of marrying into a family of noble brutes, chief among them the ealdorman Wilfwulf, her philandering husband, and Bishop Wynstan, his philandering brother.

From Washington Post

Another narrative thread concerns Lady Ragna of Cherbourg, a French noblewoman who moves to Edgar’s corner of England after her marriage to Wilfwulf, a local chieftain or “ealdorman.”

From Washington Post

To Bath came the magnates of the south-western shires led by Ethelmer who was apparently ealdorman of Devon; they took the oaths that the conqueror prescribed and gave the required hostages.

From Project Gutenberg

Earlier in his career, Canute had formed an irregular connection with an English or Anglo-Danish woman of noble birth, Elgiva, the daughter of Elfhelm, who at one time ruled in Deira as ealdorman.

From Project Gutenberg