Also spelled vice-roys
noun
Freq #18373
Meanings
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1
noun
a governor who rules a country, colony, or province as the representative of a monarch
The viceroy governed Peru in the Spanish monarch's name.
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2
noun
a North American butterfly that resembles the monarch but is usually smaller and has a black line across each hindwing
The dark transverse stripe helped the naturalist identify the butterfly as a viceroy.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle French vice-roi, combining vice- ('in place of, deputy') with roi ('king'). The butterfly was named for another royal rank because it resembles the monarch butterfly.