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Merovingian

Merovingian

1 9.9
Relating to the Frankish royal family that ruled parts of France and Germany from the 400s to the 700s
  • adjective
  • /ˌmɛrəˈvɪndʒən/
translation icon : merovingio
  • Many historians study the Merovingian period to understand early medieval European politics.
  • Merovingian bloodline
  • Merovingian dynasty
  • royal Merovingian

Remember, one of the symbols of Merovingian familial prestige was this long hair.

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Examples

  • The Merovingian dynasty ruled much of Gaul from the 5th to 8th centuries.

  • THE MEROVINGIAN KINGS WERE KNOWN FOR HAVING LONG, RED HAIR.

  • We'll see that the Merovingian kings wear long hair, especially long hair.

  • It's from a line of the Merovingian kings.

  • Some even claimed that they moved to Southern France, where they started the fabled Merovingian Bloodline.

    Blog text (2)
  • Remember, one of the symbols of Merovingian familial prestige was this long hair.

  • Photo (color): A Merovingian coin from France that was in use from 570 to 670.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Merovingian historians have dealt with this for a long time; it deserves closer attention in other parts of Europe, this making of traditional European Christianity alongside other deep traditions.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Sulpicius Severus, in his life of St. Martin of Tours, offers Christians in the Merovingian kingdom not just the biography of an extraordinary hero, but also a theology of the episcopacy with all its ecclesiological ramifications.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The cultural influences of the Merovingian kings are still seen in modern French heritage.

Compounds

A royal family of the Franks who ruled parts of present-day France and Germany from about 500 to 750 AD

Surface Forms

Merovingian positive

Morphology

Merovingian = Meroving + ian

Formed from a historical dynastic name plus the adjectival suffix '-ian'; the formation relies on a proper name rather than productive English morphology, so the sense is not transparently derivable.

Etymology

Merovingian comes from the name Merovech, and like Victorian it means 'relating to' a ruler's name. So Merovingian describes people, art, or a time connected to that early ruling family in what is now France and Germany.