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Glite Dictionary
intendancy

intendancy

9.9
An area or office that a government official runs, often in old colonies
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈtɛndənsi/
  • Archaic
translation icon : intendencia
  • The creation of the intendancy in the late eighteenth century made clear Bourbon intentions to reorganize colonial administration, as the Crown viewed such officials as modernizing agents assisting in pragmatic local improvements characteristic of the Spanish Enlightenment.

Examples

  • During the colonial period, each intendancy was responsible for local governance and law enforcement.

  • In the early 1920s, for example, the company reported to the intendancy that three guachucheros had killed a sereno in a shootout as he had patrolled the outskirts of the camps.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The new intendancy oversaw the administration of services and resources to improve the community.

  • The intendancy played a crucial role in implementing the reforms introduced by the ruling authority.

Synonyms

district
vsintendancy
∞ 1.5

An area of a town or city used for local government

is wider including the administrator role and its historical office
local authority
vsintendancy
  • UK
51 3.4

A group that runs public services for a town or area

refers instead to the territory or the administrator's office not the governing body
comitatus
vsintendancy
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A county ruled by a count in the past

focuses more on any administrative area or office rather than a noble ruler
administrative district
vsintendancy
3.9

An area managed by local government for public services

is broader also covering the officials and their historical office

Surface Forms

intendancy singular
intendancies plural

Morphology

intendancy = intendant (semi-transparent) = intendant + ancy

The noun denotes the office/area of an 'intendant' so the relation to the base is direct, but both base and formation are relatively rare and not transparently analyzable by average learners.

Etymology

The word intendancy comes from intendant, originally a title for a person who 'directs' or 'manages' an area. The verb intend also comes from the same old root meaning 'to direct', so an intendancy is the office or district that the official directs.