ealdormann

Old English

Alternative forms

• aldormon, ealdorman, ealdormon

Etymology

Compound of ealdor (“elder, leader”) +‎ mann (“man”). Cognate with Swedish ålderman (“(archaic) elder; spokesman, representative (of a tribe or family)”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæ͜ɑl.dorˌmɑnn/, [ˈæ͜ɑɫ.dorˌmɑn]

Noun

ealdormann m

1. a leader, ruler, prince
2. a master, overseer
   • Laws of King Ine

     Ġif hē ealdormon sie, ðolie his sċire, būton him kyning arian wille

     If he is an alderman, he shall lose his shire, unless the king wishes to pardon him.

3. a judge

Usage notes

• Used to indicate various occupations in various contexts (both secular and ecclesiastical) in the Old English corpus, but generally has a meaning of “leader”, “master” or “judge”.

Declension

Strong consonant stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	ealdormann	ealdormenn
accusative	ealdormann	ealdormenn
genitive	ealdormannes	ealdormanna
dative	ealdormenn	ealdormannum

Descendants

• Middle English: alderman, aldermon
  • English: alderman
• → English: ealdorman, ealderman, eolderman (learned)