Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. See ataman.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In Poland, the commander of an army. The great hetman was formerly the commander-in-chief in the old kingdom of Poland.
- n. Among the Cossacks, formerly, the elected chief of each of their principal communities; a Cossack chief; an ataman. The hetmans received extensive privileges from their Polish suzerains in the sixteenth century, which were continued after the Cossacks passed under Russian rule in 1654. Their rights were greatly restricted by Peter the Great, and the office of hetman of the Ukraine Cossacks was abolished by Catharine II. A hetman of the Don Cossacks continues to exist, but his duties are those of a governor-general. Since 1835 the heir apparent of the Russian throne is hereditary hetman of all the Cossacks, and is represented by a “hetman by delegation” for each of their territorial divisions. Hetman (ataman) is also the common title of subordinate Cossack chiefs.
Wiktionary
- n. A Cossack headman or general.
- n. Title used by the second-highest military commander in Poland and Lithuania (15th to 18th century).
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A Cossack headman or general. The title of
chief hetman is now held by the heir to the throne of Russia.
Etymologies
- From Polish hetman, probably from Middle High German houbetman, heuptman ("commander"), from houbet, heupt ("head"), related to Latin caput ("head"), + Middle High German man ("man"). Compare modern German Hauptmann ("captain"), Haupt, Mann. The Polish e in hetman attests to a borrowing from an East Central German dialect, where Middle High German öu gives ē. (Wiktionary)
- Ukrainian het'man, from Polish hetman, from German dialectal hötmann, hetmann, captain; akin to German Hauptmann, from Middle High German houbetman : houbet, head (from Old High German houbit; see kaput- in Indo-European roots) + man, man (from Old High German; see fugleman). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“I've always heard that the name hetman is not just historical but a word that mean charismatic and strong military leader," Shaw explains.”
“They looked up at me stupidly and pointed, but just then the "hetman" of the Szgany came out, and seeing them pointing to my window, said something, at which they laughed.”
“But the imprudent Swede turned southward into the district of the _Ukraine_, there to be joined by _Mazeppa_, the "hetman" of the Cossacks, who led them in revolt against”
“Matvei Ivanovich Platoff, hetman of Cossacks, and Russian commander in the”
“We owed loyalty to none but our comrades and the hetman we elected to lead us - I was such a one.”
“Fortunately, he was not a hetman of Cossacks for nothing.”
“Now it is a new Russia, and instead of the hetman we have rulers from Moscow to govern the tribe.”
“Conan, working as a hetman of the Free Peoples is on the trail of a girl he had met in camp.”
“In 1991, when his hetman was appointed the country's minister of metallurgy, Lisin accompanied him to Moscow.”
“I thought you would want us to - night - me and the hetman here (patting his pony's neck), and Tom and his charger. when I heard your mill-bell”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘hetman’.
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POL - people in power
daredevil, tzar, king, boss, master, commander, chief, kingpin, top banana, bigwig, big cheese, big wheel and 452 more...
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Gene Wolfe
Please contribute your favorite words from any of Gene Wolfe’s books to this prize-winning list.
In case you come across words in this list which are too commonplace to fit in, please ...gallipot, roost, badelaire, oblesque, execration, dhole, amschaspand, arctother, chalcedony, penitence, asimi, autarch and 839 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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Take Me To Your Whosit
About leaders, particularly the authority-figure at the top of the tree.
leader, chief, boss, cap'n, executive, president, head, tsar, alpha male, alpha female, conductor, dean and 127 more...
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Summer 12
vitrine, viaduct, traceries, taxonomic, ternary, vicegerent, stratagem, vermeil, shippon, rostral, scherzando, retinue and 197 more...
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f-words
fletcher's words
Angelus, Encratite, Phlegethon, armiger, Hildegrin, pelycosaur, Cumaean, monomachy, avern, sieur, sennet, eidolon and 49 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for hetman.
Telofy Careful, the plural is hetmans. Oct 15, 2010