Stewartries

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Historic administrative districts in Scotland, each placed under the authority of a royal steward
2. Former regional divisions of Scotland that were overseen by a royal official called a steward
3. Territories in medieval Scotland that were managed and taxed on behalf of the crown by a steward

Etymology: "Stewartries" is the plural of "stewartry," a noun that in Scotland names the district under a steward's authority. The word goes back to Middle English "stevardry" and "stewardry," built from "steward" with the suffix "-ry," which forms nouns for a office, function or territory. Those older spellings show the word first meaning the office of a steward itself, and only later the land or jurisdiction that office governed. Scotland's stewartries were administrative divisions, and the word survives mostly in place-name contexts, such as Kirkcudbright and Kirkcudbright-like districts where the steward held rule for the crown. Because the title was so tied to the Stewart royal house, the word is closely linked to the family name, though the two are not the same word: "steward" supplies the root, and the royal surname took its form from the office.