mayor

[mey-er, mair]

noun

the chief executive official, usually elected, of a city, village, or town.

the chief magistrate of a city or borough.

Origin of mayor

1250–1300; < Medieval Latin major major; replacing Middle English mer, mair < Old French maire

Related formsmay·or·al, adjectivemay·or·ship, noun

Can be confusedmare mayor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mayoral

Contemporary Examples of mayoral

DeMaio has claimed that his 2012 mayoral opponent criticized his partner "just to point out the fact that I was gay."
No Shaking Sexual Harassment Allegations for Gay GOP House Hopeful
Olivia Nuzzi
October 12, 2014
In Hattiesburg, the fourth largest city in the state, a second mayoral election was held in September 2013.
Could Chris McDaniel Get A Do-Over In The Mississippi Senate Race?
Ben Jacobs
July 10, 2014
Perry said most of the absentee ballots questioned in the mayoral race had six or seven different issues.
Could Chris McDaniel Get A Do-Over In The Mississippi Senate Race?
Ben Jacobs
July 10, 2014
The group did decline to endorse DeMaio during his mayoral race.
Gay Republican Runs Against The LGBT Lobby
Olivia Nuzzi
May 3, 2014
Ask Sharpton himself what he thinks of what I was writing about him during the 2001 New York mayoral campaign.
Donald Sterling and the Neverending Fantasy of ‘Democrat’ Racism
Michael Tomasky
April 28, 2014

Historical Examples of mayoral

The mayoral, with his wife and children, turn out to meet and welcome us.
The Pearl of the Antilles, or An Artist in Cuba
Walter Goodman
The mayoral went out, and returned a minute after, followed by Rafal.
The Trappers of Arkansas
Gustave Aimard
The regular and permanent officers of a plantation are the mayoral and mayordomo.
To Cuba and Back
Richard Henry Dana
The mayoral lingered for about a week, and then shared the fate of Pepe.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction
Various
Farfrae, with Mayoral authority, immediately rose to the occasion.
The Mayor of Casterbridge
Thomas Hardy

British Dictionary definitions for mayoral

mayor

noun

the chairman and civic head of a municipal corporation in many countriesScottish equivalent: provost

Derived Formsmayoral, adjectivemayorship, noun

Word Origin for mayor

C13: from Old French maire, from Latin maior greater. See major

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 mayoral

adj.

1690s, from mayor + -al (1).

mayor

c.1300, from Old French maire "head of a city or town government" (13c.), originally "greater, superior" (adj.), from Latin maior, major, comparative of magnus "great" (see magnum).