Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A feudal lord of Japan who was a large landowner.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A lord during the Japanese feudal period.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Japanese daimyō : dai, great, big; see daikon + myō, name (from Early Middle Chinese mjiajng; akin to Tibetan ming, name and Burmese mañ, to be named).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Japanese 大名 (daimyō).

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Examples

  • Clan Mamorukin protested; the daimyo were their guests and would not be harmed.

    Kederan XI or How Luna's life became complicated beyond imagination nathreee 2008

  • The daimyo was a young man then, not yet thirty I think, and he marched up to the platform where his commanding officer was waiting for him.

    The Japanese Corpse Van de Wetering, Janwillem, 1931- 1977

  • Loyalty to the daimyo was the vital part of the religion of the past, as loyalty to the Emperor is the vital part of the popular religion of to-day.

    Evolution Of The Japanese, Social And Psychic Sidney Lewis Gulick 1902

  • Before that time each lord exercised supreme rule over his own domain; and it is not surprising that the Jesuit missionaries, as well as the early Dutch and English traders should have called the daimyo "kings."

    Japan: an Attempt at Interpretation Lafcadio Hearn 1877

  • The Nakasen-do was established around the 8th century, although the post towns did not come into their own until the early 1600s when the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu commanded that all of the feudal lords (called daimyo) and their samurai entourages visit Edo (Tokyo) every other year to pay homage and provide military services.

    coloradoan.com - Local News 2010

  • The "daimyo" comprised about 250 local lords of local "han" with annual outputs of 50,000 or more bushels of rice.

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • The "daimyo" comprised about 250 local lords of local "han" with annual outputs of 50,000 or more bushels of rice.

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • In the Edo period, stretching from the 1603 to 1868, sumo wrestlers were hired by daimyo lords, who saw defeat as a disgrace.

    Sumo Tournament Cancelled Over Fixing Scandal Mari Iwata 2011

  • Mr. Welch believes it may have belonged to the daimyo, or warlord, in charge of the Kii province in the southern part of the island.

    'One Perfect Suit' Ann Landi 2010

  • Mr. Welch believes it may have belonged to the daimyo, or warlord, in charge of the Kii province in the southern part of the island.

    'One Perfect Suit' Ann Landi 2010

Comments

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  • The preferred pronunciation has two syllables, not three. The word is also spelled daimio. — The Orthoepist

    September 13, 2011