archidux

Latin

Etymology

archi- (“arch-, highest”) +‎ dux (“duke”). First attested in the 10th century in reference to Bruno the Great, who ruled simultaneously as an archbishop and a duke, but only current after revival by Rudolf IV of Austria in a forged document, the Privilegium Maius (1358–1359), to justify claims of precedence over other princes of the Holy Roman Empire.

Pronunciation

• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈar.ki.duks/, [ˈärkid̪uks]

Noun

archidux m (genitive archiducis); third declension

1. (Medieval Latin) archduke, chief duke or prince
   • 1358–1359, Rudolf IV of Austria (spuriously attributed to Frederick I Barbarossa), Privilegium Maius:

     Si quisbusvis curiis publicis imperii dux Austrie praesens fuerit, unus de palatinis archiducibus est censendus, et nichilominus in consessu et incessu ad latus dextrum imperii post electores principes obtineat primum locum.

     If the duke of Austria should be present in whatsoever public courts of the empire, he is to be reckoned as one of the palatine archdukes, and in any case in assembly and procession to the right side of the empire [emperor] he is to occupy the first place after the prince-electors.

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	archidux	archiducēs
Genitive	archiducis	archiducum
Dative	archiducī	archiducibus
Accusative	archiducem	archiducēs
Ablative	archiduce	archiducibus
Vocative	archidux	archiducēs

Related terms

• archiducātus
• ducātus
• dux

Descendants

• → German: Erzherzog (calque)
• → Middle French: archeduc
  • French: archiduc
  • → English: archduke

References

• archidux in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• archidux in Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften (1967– ) Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch, Munich: C.H. Beck
• Niermeyer, Jan Frederik (1976) “archidux”, in Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden, Boston: E. J. Brill
• archidux in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016