Landammann

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Alemannic German Landammann (“land official”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlændəmæn/

Noun

Landammann (plural Landammanns or Landammänner)

1. A chief magistrate in certain cantons or other administrative districts in Switzerland.
   • 1889, Francis Ottiwell Adams and C. D. Cunningham, The Swiss Confederation,^[1] Macmillan and Co., page 117,

     There, on the first Sunday in May, the people assemble in a meadow at Bözlingen an der Gand, not far from Altdorf. The Landammann, after having duly attended mass in the village church, proceeds in procession to the place of meeting.

   • 1891, Lina Hug and Richard Stead, Switzerland, Second Edition,^[2] T. Fisher Unwin (London) and G. P. Putnam's sons (New York), page 178,

     On the first Thursday in April, in solemn procession, they revisit the battlefield, and on the spot the Landammann tells the fine old story of their deliverance from foreign rule, whilst priest and minister offer thanksgiving.

   • 1922, Charles Scott Fearenside (trans.), Eli Filip Heckscher and Harald Westergaard (auths.), The Continental System: An Economic Interpretation,^[3] H. Milford, page 309,

     The Landammann (President) summed up the situation in April 1812, in the distressful proposition that 'the industries of Switzerland are now nearing their end'; and a considerable emigration took place, among other places, to the left bank of the Rhine.

   • 2004, Derek Benjamin Heater, A Brief History of Citizenship,^[4] NYU Press, →ISBN, page 97,

     For example, in the canton of Uri, the villagers elected a Landammann (chief magistrate) each year, yet only a limited number of families supplied candidates.

Usage notes

• Nowadays, this term is typically italicized to indicate its status as a foreign loanword.