viceroy

UK/ˈvaɪsˌɹɔɪ/US/ˈvaɪsˌɹɔɪ/

nounC1Occasional — familiar, but not everyday · #11,105 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: viceroys

A viceroy is somebody who rules a colony on behalf of a monarch. The viceroy of India, appointed viceroy, the viceroy's palace.

The name says it plainly: a vice-king, standing in for the crown at a distance. The viceroy of India was the grandest of them, and the post ended in 1947 with the last viceroy handing over at independence.

Definitions of viceroy

1nounviceroySomebody who rules a colony on behalf of a monarch.C1
“The viceroy lived in a grand palace and ruled the colony in the king's name.”

viceroy is a ruler.

Where it comes from

French vice-roy is vice-, in place of, plus roy, king. Viscount is built the same way.

Middle French
vice-roy
English, today
viceroy

Built from

roy · Middle French — king

From Middle French vice-roy, from vice- + roy (“king”). Compare viscount.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

viceroy in the wild

A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory.
Viceroy
The term vicereine is sometimes used to indicate a female viceroy suo jure, although viceroy can serve as a gender-neutral term.
Viceroy
Most of these individuals exercised most or all of the functions of viceroy, usually on an interim basis.
List of viceroys of New Spain
One viceroy usually administered several provinces and was in charge of all affairs of military, food, wages, rivers, and provincial governors within their region of jurisdiction.
Viceroys in China
As these monarchs usually resided far from Naples, the kingdom was administered through a series of appointed viceroys.
List of viceroys of Naples

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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