boyar
2
9.9
- noun
- /ˈbɔɪər/
- Archaic
- Alive, the young boyar had been rude, ignorant, and quarrelsome, but nonetheless useful.
- the boyar's daughter
- young boyar
Examples
-
Clasping her hands tightly behind her back, the boyar's daughter looked straight up at Aria, baring her swan-white neck.
Fiction book (2002) -
Nobles defer to the boyar, but among themselves fight and brawl for prestige and position.
Fiction book (1990) -
Accept your death, and the boyars will have no power over you.
Fiction book (2002) -
Andrew, running after the boyar, slammed him up against the wall.
Fiction book (1990) -
Mikhail said nothing, but Kal could see that his boyar had made a mistake.
Fiction book (1990) -
"Astounded, Andrew watched as the boyar galloped back up the hill.
Fiction book (1990) -
Ivor's display of joy lasted for some minutes, until finally the rotund boyar settled back into his audience chair.
Fiction book (1990) -
In America, there are no nobles, no boyars, no peasants, only free men, all of them equal.
Fiction book (1990) -
Baron Tolstoy, a tall, balding, long-nosed boyar with shaggy black eyebrows and thin lips, stepped forward.
Fiction book (2002) -
The boyar commanded great respect within the royal court, shaping the policies of the kingdom.
Synonyms
3
9.5
A rich, powerful man who holds land from the king and gives soldiers to the king
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word boyar came into Slavic from a Turkic word like bai, which means 'rich' or 'lord', and is like the Turkish title bey. That's why a boyar was a top noble who owned land and had great power in medieval Russia and nearby countries.