Dzongpön
/ˈdzɔŋ.pɜːn/noun
A former Tibetan or Bhutanese official who governed a dzong, or fortified administrative center.
Did you know?In Bhutan, dzongs historically fused political and religious authority, so the Dzongpön governed from buildings that were simultaneously fortresses, monasteries, and administrative centers.
Etymological Timeline
Old Tibetan period
Tibetan
རྫོང་ (rdzong)
“A fortress or fortified place”
Classical Tibetan
Tibetan
དཔོན་ (dpon)
“A lord, chief, master, or official”
Classical Tibetan
Tibetan
རྫོང་དཔོན་ (rdzong dpon)
“The official or lord in charge of a fortress”
19th–20th Century
English
dzongpön / dzongpon
“An English-transliterated title for a Tibetan or Bhutanese fortress governor”
Modern English
English
Dzongpön
“A historical title for the governor or administrator of a dzong”