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hetman

American  
[het-muhn] / ˈhɛt mən /

noun

plural

hetmans
  1. the title assumed by the chief of Ukrainian Cossacks of the Dnieper River region, with headquarters at Zaporozhe.

  2. ataman.


hetman British  
/ ˈhɛtmən /

noun

  1. another word for ataman

"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

Etymology

Origin of hetman

1700–10; < Ukrainian hét'man < Polish hetman < an eastern dial. form of Middle High German houbetman leader, chief ( German Hauptmann captain; compare German dial. (Silesia) Hettmann, Hötmann; head, man )

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.

At table's head sat Grandson Bernard, president of Gimbel Brothers, Inc. and present family hetman.

From Time Magazine Archive

The book began with Mandelstam's first arrest in 1934 for a poem that described the dictator as a tribal hetman savoring each death like a raspberry.

From Time Magazine Archive

Next day the hetman sent a cream-colored steed of great price to Pan Michael.

From Pan Michael An Historical Novel of Poland, the Ukraine, and Turkey. by Sienkiewicz, Henryk

"Pan Mellehovich is an officer of the hetman," said Basia; "we have nothing to do with him."

From Pan Michael An Historical Novel of Poland, the Ukraine, and Turkey. by Sienkiewicz, Henryk

The hetman walked some time with quick steps through the room and then stopped before the little knight.

From Pan Michael An Historical Novel of Poland, the Ukraine, and Turkey. by Sienkiewicz, Henryk