Added 9 October 2026
mayor
/ˈmɛə̯/ noun
Latin root: maior Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about mayor at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The chief executive of the municipal government of a city, borough, etc., formerly usually appointed as a caretaker by European royal courts but now usually appointed or elected locally.
- Ellipsis of mayor of the palace, the royal stewards of the Frankish Empire.
- Synonym of mair, various former officials in the Kingdom of Scotland.
Origin
From Middle English maire, from Old French maire (“head of a city or town government”), a substantivation of Old French maire (“greater”), from Latin maior (“bigger, greater, superior”), comparative of magnus (“big, great”). Doublet of major. Cognate with Old High German meior (“estate manager, steward, bailiff”) (modern German Meier), Middle Dutch meier (“administrator, steward, bailiff”) (modern Dutch meier). Displaced Old English burgealdor (“a ruler of a city, mayor, citizen”), burhġerēfa (“boroughreeve”), and portġerēfa (“portreeve”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)