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Glite Dictionary
stadtholder

stadtholder

9.9
A chief governor and army leader of the old Dutch Republic
  • noun
  • /ˈstɑːtˌhoʊldər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : estadhouder
  • Stadtholder Maurice

Examples

  • As private secretary to Frederik Hendrik of Orange and a stadtholder of the United Provinces.

    Academic text (1991)

  • The Stadtholder played a vital role in leading the military during the conflict with Spain.

  • As the Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, he had significant authority over both politics and the armed forces.

  • During the 17th century, the Stadtholder often consulted with the States General on matters of state.

Synonyms

governor
vsstadtholder
∞ 3.0

An elected official who leads a state government

is a former national chief who also served as military leader

Surface Forms

stadtholder singular
stadtholders plural

Etymology

Stadtholder comes from the Dutch word stadhouder, made of stad ('place') and houder ('holder'). So a stadtholder was literally someone who 'holds the place' of the ruler, acting as the chief governor and military leader.