Margrave
/ˈmɑːr.ɡreɪv/noun
A nobleman in charge of a border territory, originally a count or lord of a march.
Did you know?The word comes from a frontier title tied to the Old High German idea of a march, a borderland, so it literally marked someone appointed to guard the edge of a realm.
Etymological Timeline
Old High German
OHG
marhgrāvo
“border count; count of a march”
Middle High German
MHG
marggrāve
“a noble governing a frontier district”
Late Medieval Latin
Latin
marchio
“a margrave or frontier lord”
Middle English
English
margrave
“a noble rank in German lands, equivalent to a border count”
Modern English
English
margrave
“a hereditary title for a nobleman ruling a border territory”