margrave
/ˈmɑɹɡɹeɪv/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 2.06 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A feudal era military-administrative officer of comital rank in the Carolingian empire and some successor states, originally in charge of a border area.
noun
A hereditary ruling prince in certain feudal states of the Holy Roman Empire and elsewhere; the titular equivalent became known as marquis or marquess.
name
A surname.
Example Sentences
- "1973: Among pulverised heads of stone margraves and electors, reconnoitering a likely-looking cabbage patch, all of a sudden Slothrop picks up the scent of an unmistakable no it can’t be yes it is it’s a REEFER! — Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow"
- "The Margrave of Bruges was their head."
Etymology
From Middle Dutch marcgrāve (modern Dutch markgraaf), cognate with Old High German marcgrāvo (modern German Markgraf), from Proto-Germanic *markō (“boundary; boundary marker”) + *grafa (“military rank”), from Latin graphio. More at mark, graft. Compare marchion, marquis, landgrave.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: marcgrave, *markō, graphio
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmɑɹɡɹeɪv/
- British English: /ˈmɑːɡɹeɪv/