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alderman

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alderman¹

  • /ˈɔːldəmən/ UK
  • /ˈɒl-/ UK
  • /ˈɔldəɹmən/ US
  • /ˈɑldəɹmən/ US, cot caught merger, dialectal
  • /ˈɒldəɹmən/ Canada, dialectal
  • /ˈoːldəmən/ Australia, New Zealand

Where it comes from

From Middle English alderman, aldermon, from Old English ealdorman, ealdormann, from ealdor (“elder, parent, chief, prince, author”) + mann (“person”). Doublet of ealdorman.

noun aldermen

  1. A member of a municipal legislative body in a city or town. Humanity, contemplating the numerous munificent actions of this Corporation, cherishes a hope, that, in the anniversary revolution of the great City Officers, some Alderman or Sheriff may possess the patriotism and courage of effecting substantial good, to the accomplishment of which great mental ex
  2. UK, historical, obsolete, slang A half-crown coin; its value, 30 pence. The price of a case (five shillings piece bad) from the smasher is about one shilling; an alderman (two and sixpence) about sixpence; a peg (shilling) about threepence; a downer or sprat (sixpence) about twopence.
  3. A long pipe for smoking. In one part of Cockaigne an amalgamation of these two last has lately taken place; and the pleasure experienced by the parishioners of Walbrook is unbounded when smoking an alderman and churchwarden.
  4. US, slang A large, protruding, or swollen abdomen; a paunch, a potbelly. He'd exercise, get the fat off, because if he let it go, he'd have too much on and maybe make his heart worse, and you looked like hell with an alderman. […] And she wouldn't want a guy who stuck out in front like a balloon.
  5. Synonym of starosta. Beſides theſe two Gentlemen, and Secretaries that order the whole Citie, there are Staruſts or Aldermen for euerie ſeuerall companie. The Alderman hath his Sotskey or Conſtable, and the Conſtable hath certeine Decetskeis or Decurions vnder him, which haue the ouerſight of ten houſholds a peece, wher

    Similar: starosta

Similar: baillie

Alderman²

Where it comes from

Occupational surname for a member of the governing body of a city, from alderman.

proper noun Aldermans

  1. An English surname originating as an occupation.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: councilman, councillor, municipal, counsellor, counselor, consultant, counsel, advisor, adviser, advise, advising, conseiller, aldermanate, alder., aldm., ald.

noun

Similar: baillie

Translations

Every language

noun member of a municipal legislative body in a city or town

Españolconcejal, regidor
Portuguêsvereador, vereadora, edil
Françaiséchevin, conseiller municipal
DeutschSchöffe
Italianoaldermanno
Ελληνικάδημοτικός σύμβουλος dimotikós sýmvoulos
Românăconsilier, consilieră
Русскийо́лдермен óldermen

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MLA

"alderman." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/alderman. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

alderman. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/alderman

Chicago

"alderman." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/alderman.

BibTeX
@misc{alderman_2026,
  title = {alderman},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/alderman},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}