mayor
/ˈmeɪ̯.ɚ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.62 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The chief executive of the municipal government of a city, borough, etc., formerly (historical) usually appointed as a caretaker by European royal courts but now usually appointed or elected locally.
noun
A largely ceremonial position in some municipal governments that presides over the city council while a contracted city manager holds actual executive power.
American usage
name
A surname from Anglo-Norman.
Example Sentences
- "The office of mayor has been the tomb of many political ambitions."
- "When the burdens of the Presidency seem unusually heavy, I always remind myself that it could be worse—I could be a mayor of a city instead."
- "While Buckley would later privately describe Chicago's Mayor Daley as a Fascist, he was not willing to let Vidal use the police to vindicate the demonstrators, who, in Buckley's mind, had provoked much of the violence."
- "Quimby: I propose that I use what's left of the town treasury to move to a more prosperous town and run for mayor and once selected I will send for the rest of you. All: Boo!"
- "Carver: What the hell d'you say to him? Hauk: I said "Mr Mayor that's a good strong dick you've got there and I see you know how to use it." I didn't say shit!"
- "In some parts the burlesque civic official was designated ‘Mayor of the Pig Market’."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s Proto-Indo-European *-yōs Proto-Indo-European *méǵyōs Proto-Italic *majjōs Latin maior Old French mairebor. Middle English maire English mayor 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”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmeɪ̯.ɚ/
- British English: /ˈmɛə̯/
Usage
Inflected Forms
mayors (plural)
maiere (alternative, obsolete)
maieur (alternative, obsolete)
mar (alternative, obsolete)
mayere (alternative, obsolete)
meer (alternative, obsolete)
mehir (alternative, obsolete)
meir (alternative, obsolete)
meire (alternative, obsolete)
mer (alternative, obsolete)
mere (alternative, obsolete)
meyhir (alternative, obsolete)
Derived Forms
Phrases
lady mayor
lord mayor
mayor-choosing
mayor-corn
mayor-council
mayor-making
mayor's banquet
mayor's court
Synonyms
mair
various former officials in the Kingdom of Scotland
mayoress
burgomaster
boroughmaster
boroughreeve
portreeve
provost
Lord Provost
praetor