margrave

• margraf, markgraf, markgrave

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.

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

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.

From Middle Dutch marcgrāve (modern Dutch markgraaf).

• IPA^(key): /maʁ.ɡʁav/

• Audio:

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margrave m (plural margraves)

1. a margrave

• margraviat m

• marquis m

margrave f (plural margraves)

1. margravine

• margravine

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

• Hyphenation: mar‧gra‧ve

margrave m (plural margraves)

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

Borrowed from German Markgraf.

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

margrave m (plural margraves)

1. margrave (military-administrative officer)

• “margrave”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28