mayor

Meaning

1. The chief executive of the municipal government of a city, borough, etc., formerly (historical) usually appointed as a caretaker by European royal courts but now usually appointed or elected locally.
2. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, historical) Ellipsis of mayor of the palace, the royal stewards of the Frankish Empire.
3. (historical) Synonym of mair, various former officials in the Kingdom of Scotland.
4. (Ireland, obsolete, rare) A member of a city council.
5. (historical, obsolete) A high justice, an important judge.
6. (US) A largely ceremonial position in some municipal governments that presides over the city council while a contracted city manager holds actual executive power.
7. (figuratively, humorous) A local VIP, a muckamuck or big shot reckoned to lead some local group.

Synonyms

provost

burgomaster

Lord Mayor

mayoress

alderman

city manager

governor

chief

councilor

etc.

foreman

main

superior

village

alcalde

village head

office of an alderman

bailiff

boss

cacique

chairman

chairperson

chairwoman

commissioner

Translations

maire

sindaco

alcalde

Bürgermeister

burgemeester

prefeito

δήμαρχος

burgervader

alcalde

bourgmestre

Bürgermeisterin

borgomastro

belediye başkanı

Oberbürgermeister

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmɛə̯/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: maire

In summary

From Middle English maire, from Old French maire (“head of a city or town government”), a substantivation of Old French maire (“greater”), from Latin maior (“bigger, greater, superior”), comparative of magnus (“big, great”). Doublet of major. Cognate with Old High German meior (“estate manager, steward, bailiff”) (modern German Meier), Middle Dutch meier (“administrator, steward, bailiff”) (modern Dutch meier). Displaced Old English burgealdor (“a ruler of a city, mayor, citizen”), burhġerēfa (“boroughreeve”), and portġerēfa (“portreeve”).