margrave

See also: márgrave

English

Alternative forms

• margraf, markgraf, markgrave

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑːɡɹeɪv/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑɹɡɹeɪv/

Noun

margrave (plural margraves)

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.
   • 1973: Among pulverised heads of stone margraves and electors, reconnoitering a likely-looking cabbage patch, all of a sudden Slothrop picks up the scent of an unmistakable no it can’t be yes it is it’s a REEFER! — Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow
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.
   • 1516, Thomas More, chapter 1, in Utopia‎^[1]:

     The Margrave of Bruges was their head.

Derived terms

• margravate
• margravely
• margravial
• margraviate
• margravine

 

Related terms

• burgrave
• landgrave
• palsgrave
• waldgrave

 

Translations

military officer in charge of German border area

• Bulgarian: маркграф m (markgraf)
• Catalan: marcgravi m, marquès (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 藩侯 (fānhóu)

• Czech: markrabě (cs) m
• Danish: markgreve c
• Dutch: markgraaf (nl) m
• Esperanto: margrafo
• Finnish: rajakreivi (fi)
• French: margrave (fr) m or f
• Galician: margrave m
• German: Markgraf (de) m
• Greek: μαργράβος (el) m (margrávos)
• Icelandic: markgreifi m
• Italian: margravio (it) m
• Japanese: 辺境伯 (へんきょうはく, henkyouhaku)
• Khmer: ចៅបច្ចន្តជនបទ (chav pacchanta chɔɔn bɑt)
• Korean: 변경백(邊境伯) (byeon'gyeongbaek)
• Macedonian: ма́ркгроф m (márkgrof)
• Middle Dutch: marcgrave
• Persian: مرزبان (fa) (marzbân)
• Polish: margrabia (pl) m
• Portuguese: margrave m
• Russian: маркгра́ф (ru) m (markgráf)
• Swedish: markgreve c
• Thai: มาร์เกรฟ

hereditary prince

• Bulgarian: маркграф m (markgraf)
• Catalan: marcgravi m
• Czech: markrabě (cs) m
• Danish: markgreve c
• Dutch: markgraaf (nl) m, markies (nl) m
• Esperanto: margrafo
• Finnish: rajakreivi (fi)
• German: Markgraf (de) m
• Greek: μαργράβος (el) m (margrávos)
• Hungarian: őrgróf (hu), márki (hu)
• Icelandic: markgreifi m
• Italian: margravio (it) m
• Khmer: ពញា (km) (pnyie), ឧកញ៉ា (km) (oknyaa)
• Macedonian: ма́ркгроф m (márkgrof)
• Middle Dutch: marcgrave
• Persian: مرزبان (fa) (marzbân)
• Polish: margrabia (pl) f
• Portuguese: margrave m
• Russian: маркгра́ф (ru) m (markgráf)
• Spanish: margrave m
• Swedish: markgreve c
• Thai: มาร์เกรฟ

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} rajakrahv
• French: ^{(please verify)} margrave (fr) m

French

Etymology

From Middle Dutch marcgrāve (modern Dutch markgraaf).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maʁ.ɡʁav/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

margrave m (plural margraves)

1. a margrave

Derived terms

• margraviat m

Related terms

• marquis m

Noun

margrave f (plural margraves)

1. margravine

Synonyms

• margravine

Further reading

• “margrave”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /maʁˈɡɾa.vi/ [maɦˈɡɾa.vi]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /maʁˈɡɾa.vi/ [maɦˈɡɾa.vi]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /maɾˈɡɾa.vi/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /maʁˈɡɾa.vi/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /maɻˈɡɾa.ve/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐɾˈɡɾa.vɨ/ [mɐɾˈɣɾa.vɨ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐɾˈɡɾa.vɨ/ [mɐɾˈɣɾa.vɨ]
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐɾˈɡɾa.bɨ/ [mɐɾˈɣɾa.βɨ]

• Hyphenation: mar‧gra‧ve

Noun

margrave m (plural margraves)

1. margrave (military officer in charge of German border area)

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from German Markgraf.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maɾˈɡɾabe/ [maɾˈɣ̞ɾa.β̞e]
• Rhymes: -abe
• Syllabification: mar‧gra‧ve

Noun

margrave m (plural margraves)

1. margrave (military-administrative officer)

Further reading

• “margrave”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10