Ghibelline
[gib-uh-lin, -leen]
- 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.
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- of or relating to the Ghibellines.
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Origin of Ghibelline
1565–75; < Italian Ghibellino < Middle High German *wībeling- (German Waiblingen) a Hohenstaufen estate in Germany
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for ghibelline
Historical Examples
The town was fairly torn up with these nursery Guelph and Ghibelline wars.
In a Little TownRupert Hughes
This infuriated the others, and the town was split into Guelph and Ghibelline.
In a Little TownRupert Hughes
For myself, if we had a Guelphic order, I should choose to remain a Ghibelline.
The struggle between Guelph and Ghibelline was their opportunity.
The Civilisation of the Renaissance in ItalyJacob Burckhardt
He schemed all this with the aid of a Guelph that dwelt in Arezzo as a red-hot Ghibelline.
The God of LoveJustin Huntly McCarthy
Ghibelline
- 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
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Word Origin
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
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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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper