What does "burgrave" mean?

The military governor of a town or castle in the Middle Ages, especially in German-speaking Europe; a nobleman of the same status.

What is a synonym for "burgrave"?

Common synonyms include: bey, collector, governor, nabob, proconsul, provincial.

Pronounced //ˈbɜɹɡɹeɪv//.

//ˈbɜɹɡɹeɪv// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The military governor of a town or castle in the Middle Ages, especially in German-speaking Europe; a nobleman of the same status. historical
2
the military governor of a German town in the 12th and 13th centuries wordnet
3
One who holds a hereditary title, with an associated domain, descended from an ancestor who commanded a burg, especially in German-speaking Europe.
4
a nobleman ruling a German castle and surrounding grounds by hereditary right wordnet

From German Burggraf, from Burg (“castle”) + Graf (“count”). Compare Dutch burggraaf, French burgrave. See margrave.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.