tetrarch

American  

[te-trahrk, tee-] / ˈtɛ trɑrk, ˈti- /

noun

1. any ruler of a fourth part, division, etc.

2. a subordinate ruler.

3. one of four joint rulers or chiefs.

4. the ruler of the fourth part of a country or province in the ancient Roman Empire.

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tetrarch British  

/ -kɪt, tɛˈtrɑːˌkeɪt, ˈtɛtrɑːk /

noun

1. the ruler of one fourth of a country

2. a subordinate ruler, esp of Syria under the Roman Empire

3. the commander of one of the smaller subdivisions of a Macedonian phalanx

4. any of four joint rulers

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Other Word Forms

• tetrarchate noun
• tetrarchic adjective
• tetrarchical adjective
• tetrarchy noun

Etymology

Origin of tetrarch

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, tetrarcha, tetrarke, from Late Latin tetrarcha, variant of Latin tetrarchēs, from Greek tetrárchēs; see tetr-, -arch

Example Sentences

While there was no formal geographic division of leadership, each emperor or tetrarch had his own sphere of influence.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

The husky-voiced German tenor Gerhard A. Siegel was almost endearing as Herod, the tetrarch of Judea, Herodias’s husband, who is nearly undone by his yearning for his stepdaughter.

From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2014

Con O'Neill as the roaring, bisexual tetrarch is not afraid to out-Herod Herod.

From The Guardian • Jun. 24, 2010

There had been a feud between the tetrarch and himself, one recently mended, and which he had no wish to renew.

From Mary Magdalen by Saltus, Edgar

And so on this occasion he had come, and with him his wife, Claudia Procula, and the tetrarch Antipas, who had joined them on the way.

From Mary Magdalen by Saltus, Edgar