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alderman

noun

  1. member of the executive of a municipal assembly or council
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Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈɔːldəmən/ / /ˈɒl-/ / /ˈɔldəɹmən/

name

Etymology: Occupational surname for a member of the governing body of a city, from alderman.

  1. An English surname originating as an occupation.

noun

Etymology: From Middle English alderman, aldermon, from Old English ealdorman, ealdormann, from ealdor (“elder, parent, chief, prince, author”) + mann (“person”). Doublet of ealdorman.

  1. A member of a municipal legislative body in a city or town.
  2. A half-crown coin; its value, 30 pence.

    The price of a case (five shillings piece bad) from the smasher is about one shilling; an alderman (two and sixpence) about sixpence; a peg (shilling) about threepence; a downer or sprat (sixpence) about twopence.

    Half-a-crown is known as an alderman, half a bull, half a tusheroon, and a madza caroon; whilst a crown piece, or five shillings, may be called either a bull, or a caroon, or a cartwheel, or a coachwheel, or a thick-un, or a tusheroon.

  3. A long pipe for smoking.

    In one part of Cockaigne an amalgamation of these two last has lately taken place; and the pleasure experienced by the parishioners of Walbrook is unbounded when smoking an alderman and churchwarden.

  4. A large, protruding, or swollen abdomen; a paunch, a potbelly.

    He'd exercise, get the fat off, because if he let it go, he'd have too much on and maybe make his heart worse, and you looked like hell with an alderman. […] And she wouldn't want a guy who stuck out in front like a balloon.

  5. Synonym of starosta

    Beſides theſe two Gentlemen, and Secretaries that order the whole Citie, there are Staruſts or Aldermen for euerie ſeuerall companie. The Alderman hath his Sotskey or Conſtable, and the Conſtable hath certeine Decetskeis or Decurions vnder him, which haue the ouerſight of ten houſholds a peece, whereby euerie diſorder is ſooner ſpide, and the common ſeruice hath the quicker diſpach. The whole number of Citizens poore and rich are reduced into companies. The chiefe officers (as the Dyacks and Gentlemen) are appointed by the Emperour himſelfe, the Staruſt by the Gentlemen and Dyacks, the Sotskoy by the Staruſt or Alderman, and the Decetskotes by the Conſtables.

    The chief man of a vollost is a Zasidatil; the chief man of a village is a Starosta, or alderman.