aldermancy


al·der·man

E0002300 (ôl′dər-mən)n.1. A member of the municipal legislative body in a town or city in many jurisdictions.2. A member of the higher branch of the municipal or borough council in England and Ireland before 1974.3. a. A noble of high rank or authority in Anglo-Saxon England.b. The chief officer of a shire in Anglo-Saxon England.
[Middle English, a person of high rank, from Old English ealdorman : ealdor, elder, chief (from eald, old; see al- in Indo-European roots) + man, man; see man.]
al′der·man·cy (-sē) n.al′der·man′ic (-măn′ĭk) adj.