Ghibelline

[gib-uh-lin, -leen]

noun

a member of the aristocratic party in medieval Italy and Germany that supported the claims of the German emperors against the papacy: politically opposed to the Guelphs.

adjective

of or relating to the Ghibellines.

Origin of Ghibelline

1565–75; < Italian Ghibellino < Middle High German *wībeling- (German Waiblingen) a Hohenstaufen estate in Germany

Related formsGhib·el·lin·ism, noun

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Examples from the Web for ghibelline

Historical Examples of ghibelline

The town was fairly torn up with these nursery Guelph and Ghibelline wars.
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes
This infuriated the others, and the town was split into Guelph and Ghibelline.
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes
For myself, if we had a Guelphic order, I should choose to remain a Ghibelline.
The International Magazine, Volume 2, No. 2, January, 1851
Various
The struggle between Guelph and Ghibelline was their opportunity.
The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy
Jacob Burckhardt
He schemed all this with the aid of a Guelph that dwelt in Arezzo as a red-hot Ghibelline.
The God of Love
Justin Huntly McCarthy

British Dictionary definitions for ghibelline

Ghibelline

noun

a member of the political faction in medieval Italy originally based on support for the German emperor

(modifier) of or relating to the GhibellinesCompare Guelph 1

Derived FormsGhibellinism, noun

Word Origin for Ghibelline

C16: from Italian Ghibellino, probably from Middle High German Waiblingen, a Hohenstaufen estate

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

Word Origin and History for ghibelline

Ghibelline

adherent of the emperor in medieval Italy, 1570s, from German Waiblingen, seat of the Hohenstaufens in Württemberg. The name was said to have been used as a rallying cry by partisans of Conrad III at the Battle of Weinsberg (1140). See Guelph.