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Glite Dictionary
🎬 Matrix film character 🏰 Related to Frankish kings 👑 A Frankish ruler
Merovingian

Merovingian

9.9
A member of the Frankish royal family that ruled parts of France and Germany from the 400s to the 700s
  • noun
  • /ˌmɛrəˈvɪndʒən/
translation icon : merovingio
  • The Merovingian kings ruled over what is now modern France during the early Middle Ages.

Here, then, we have the power of the Merovingians, and the limitations on that power.

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Examples

  • Here, then, we have the power of the Merovingians, and the limitations on that power.

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  • But you'll have seen in Gregory Etour that basically the Merovingians are rich because of plunder, military expeditions and land.

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  • Historians study the Merovingians to understand the transition from Roman to barbarian rule in Europe.

  • The Merovingian dynasty is known for its unique burial customs that reflect their Christian beliefs.

Compounds

Merovingian dynasty
9.9

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

Surface Forms

Merovingian singular
Merovingians plural

Morphology

Merovingian = Meroving + ian

Formed from a historical dynastic name plus the adjectival/-nominal suffix '-ian'; the base is a proper name unfamiliar as a productive English root, so learners cannot derive the historical meaning from its parts.

Etymology

Merovingian comes from the name Merovech, an early Frankish leader, and originally meant 'of Merovech's family'. So a Merovingian was a member of that ruling family in what is now France and Germany.