Meaning

The status or role of a chief; chieftainship..

Definitions by Sense

1. The status or role of a chief; chieftainship.
2. The land ruled over by a chief; chieftainship.
3. The form of government in which people are ruled by a chief.
4. A colonial administrative centre.
5. The leaders or chiefs of a people, collectively.
6. (historical) An Irish head tax

Example Sentences

"Then those lands in the County of Cavan which was O'Rilie's country are all holden of the King ; and because the captainship or chiefery of O'Rilie is abolished by act of Parliament by Stat. 2d of Elizabeth, and also because, two of the chief lords elected by the country have been lately slain in rebellion (which is an attainder in law), these lands are holden immediately of his Majesty.

Roderic drew all his forces against him; Dermot Mac Moroogh sent to Robert Fitz Stephens, that in all haste he should draw forces to the ayde of Donald Prince of Limirike his sonne in law, which was accordingly affected, where Roderic was foyled, lost his chiefery, and with shame enough returned to his own country.

Thus, in 1953, an individual named Paul Yana filed a complaint with the administration, claiming that in 1949 he had paid the Chef Supe/rieur of New Bell, Joseph Mongo, 15 000 francs, six bottles of Tuborg beer, three bottles of rum, one bottle of wine, and one sheep, in exchange for a promised chiefery, but that Mongo had not made the appointment.

I have said that Tautira was a large and powerful chiefery on the eastern side of the peninsula Taiarapu, which was balanced by Teahupoo, another large chiefery at the southern end.

There was no king, but each district or chiefery had an independent ruler who inherited under the law of primogeniture and traced his descent by a most carefully-kept genealogical system to almost incredible antiquity.

Their chiefery was co-extensive with the present barony of Clare, in Co. Galway.

According to the American historian Henry Adams, who first came to Tahiti in 1891 and recorded the memories of the elderly female chief Arii Taimai: Tavi's direct and full authority extended only over his own chiefery of Tautira, but by rank or courtesy, through his family connection or his influence, it extende over the whole island, and only Eimeo or Moorea was exempt.

The conquest of new territories made it possible for the Zarma society to settle in hamlets and develop a political organization that assumed the characteristics of a chiefery.

Word Forms

• chieferies

Synonyms for chiefery

Related Words

When Should You Use Chiefery?

Use chiefery when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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