What does "hansard" mean?
A member of a Hanse (“merchant guild”), or a resident of a Hanse town.
Hansard
/ˈhænsəd/ name, noun
name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A member of a Hanse (“merchant guild”), or a resident of a Hanse town.
- Grammar: hansard is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: blue book, debate compilation, gazette, official publication.
- Useful contrasts: private notes, unpublished manuscripts, unrecorded debate.
- Usage evidence: Mary has excellent shorthand skills and works as a Hansard reporter in Parliament.
How to use "hansard"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hansard" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hansard" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hansard" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hansard" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hansard" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "blue book" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hansard", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A member of a Hanse (“merchant guild”), or a resident of a Hanse town. also, attributive, historical
"The cloſe of the thirteenth century appears to been have a remarkable era in the commercial hiſtory of London. In 1296, the company of merchant-adventurers was firſt incorporated by Edward I. The Hanſards, or Hanſe merchants, also received conſiderable privileges about the ſame time."
- 2 The official report of debates and other proceedings in the British and some Commonwealth parliaments. British, Commonwealth
"Mr. BURNS thought that if they were to have a Hansard at all, they should take steps to have it thoroughly well done, and he would be very glad if they could get rid of these corrections altogether. He thought the exact words, or as nearly as possible the exact words, should be put into the Hansard, and the staff should be so efficient that there would be no necessity for corrections."
- 3 the official published verbatim report of the proceedings of a parliamentary body; originally of the British Parliament wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
"The Armes of a very ancient Family, ſettled at Kelſey in the County, which came to them by the Marriage of the Heireſs of Hanſard."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
private notesunpublished manuscriptsunrecorded debate
Example
"Mary has excellent shorthand skills and works as a Hansard reporter in Parliament."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hansard"?
Common synonyms include: blue book, debate compilation, gazette, official publication, official transcript, parliamentary publication.
How do you use "hansard" in a sentence?
Mary has excellent shorthand skills and works as a Hansard reporter in Parliament.
How do you pronounce "hansard"?
Pronounced /ˈhænsəd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
PIE word *ḱóm From Middle English hansard (“merchant or citizen of a Hanseatic town; member of a merchant guild; a surname”), from hanse, hansze, hanze, haunse (“merchant guild; the Hanseatic League; member of the Hanseatic League; membership fee for a merchant guild; payment in general”) + -ard (suffix forming adjectives and nouns). Hanse is derived from Old French hanse (“merchant guild; membership fee for a merchant guild”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, by; with; along”) + *sed- (“to sit”). The English word is analysable as Hanse (“merchant guild; the Hanseatic League”) + -ard (suffix forming agent nouns, especially pejorative ones).
Etymology 2
From Hansard, the surname of Thomas Curson Hansard (1776–1833), an English printer who inherited the business of printing reports of parliamentary debates and proceedings from his father Luke Hansard (1752–1828). T. C. Hansard added his name to the title of the reports from 1829, and from about 1859 they began to be referred to generically as “Hansards”.