dignitary

C1 Topic:Law & Government
US /ˈdɪɡ.nəˌter.i/ UK /ˈdɪɡ.nɪ.tər.i/
noun Freq #48580

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a person who holds a high rank or important public office

    The visiting dignitary was welcomed by senior officials at the airport.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a person who holds a high... officialnotableVIP
Word family
Forms dignitaries
Related forms dignitydignified

Etymology

Borrowed from French dignitaire, from Late Latin dignitarius, meaning a person who holds a dignity or high office. The Latin base dignitas also gave English dignity.

Topics

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