Mayor
/ˈmeɪ.ər/noun
The elected head of a city or town government.
Did you know?Mayor comes through Old French from Latin *maior*, meaning “greater” or “elder,” the same root behind words like *major* and *majority*—so the title originally marked someone as the “greater one.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*meg-
“to be great, large”
Latin
Latin
maior
“greater, elder”
Late Latin
Latin
maior
“a superior or senior person”
Old French
Old French
maior
“chief officer of a town”
Middle English
English
mair, maire
“municipal magistrate”
Modern English
English
mayor
“the elected head of a city or town government”