margrave

Meaning

1. (historical) A feudal era military-administrative officer of comital rank in the Carolingian empire and some successor states, originally in charge of a border area.
2. (historical) A hereditary ruling prince in certain feudal states of the Holy Roman Empire and elsewhere; the titular equivalent became known as marquis or marquess.

Synonyms

archduke

duchess

landgrave

lord-marcher

Translations

Markgraf

margravio

markgraaf

margrave

marcgravi

margrave

margrave

markies

μαγράβος

marquès

margrava

Margrave

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmɑːɡɹeɪv/

Etymology

Cognate with Dutch: markgraaf

Cognate with Old High German: marcgrāvo

Cognate with German: Markgraf

In summary

From Middle Dutch marcgrāve (modern Dutch markgraaf), cognate with Old High German marcgrāvo (modern German Markgraf), from Proto-Germanic *markō (“boundary; boundary marker”) + *grafa (“military rank”), from Latin graphio. More at mark, graft.
Compare marchion, marquis, landgrave.