Aldermanry

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The position or term during which a person serves as an alderman in local government
2. The role or period of service occupied by a member of a municipal council known as an alderman
3. The official capacity or tenure held by an individual acting as an alderman in a city's governing body

Etymology: Old English had "ealdorman," a title for a high-ranking royal official who governed a shire or province, and "ealdormanry" named the office or territory under such a man. The word survives in modern English as "aldermanry," a term for the term of office held by an alderman. The two spellings are doublets, meaning two forms descended from the same source that came into the language along different routes and were kept apart rather than one replacing the other. The modern "alderman" is the same title in a shrunken form. The Old English "ealdor" meant "elder" or "chief," and the compound simply described an older, senior man. Over the centuries the word shifted from a powerful regional governor to a municipal officer, and the suffix "-ry" was then added to name the period of service in that role.