intendant

American  

[in-ten-duhnt] / ɪnˈtɛn dənt /

noun

1. a person who has the direction or management of some public business, the affairs of an establishment, etc.; a superintendent.

2. the title of various government officials, especially administrators serving under the French, Spanish, or Portuguese monarchies.

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intendant British  

/ ɪnˈtɛndənt /

noun

1. history a provincial or colonial official of France, Spain, or Portugal

2. a senior administrator in some countries, esp in Latin America

3. a superintendent or manager

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Etymology

Origin of intendant

1645–55; < French < Latin intendent- (stem of intendēns ) present participle of intendere to stetch, make an effort (for), attend (to). See intend, -ant

Explanation

During the monarchies of France and Spain, intendants were appointed officials. Generally, intendants were responsible for carrying out the king or queen's orders throughout the country. Intendants were appointed to oversee the royal provinces, making sure that the king's commands were being followed. These civil servants were chosen from the nobility or upper-class, and intendants were abolished along with the monarchy itself after the French Revolution. The term is still used in several countries today; in Portugal, an intendant is a member of a police force, and in Argentina it's a city mayor, for example.

Example Sentences

The new deal was announced Wednesday and will keep the conductor in his post after Matthias Schulz succeeds Andreas Homoki as intendant and artistic director starting with the 2025-26 season.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 26, 2022

For the past decade, it has drawn acclaim under the virtuosic showmanship of Barrie Kosky, the outgoing intendant, who will continue to stage new productions at the house.

From New York Times • Aug. 18, 2022

“We had a sold-out house, so the intendant of the theater called me that morning at 9 a.m. to ask me to play,” recalled the head of the theater’s music staff, Valeria Polunina.

From New York Times • Mar. 4, 2020

I happened to be chatting to the intendant of the Deutsche Oper the other day, as you do - the director of the Deutsche Oper, one of the world's big opera houses.

From BBC • May 25, 2013

He obtained an office in the financial department of the government; and in 1795 was made intendant of the colonies which had just been founded in Sierra Morena and Andalusia.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 2 "Gloss" to "Gordon, Charles George" by Various