alderman

/ˈɔldərmən/

/ˈɔldəmən/

Other forms: aldermen

An alderman is a member of a city or town government. The city of Chicago is governed by a group of 50 aldermen.

In Anglo-Saxon England, an alderman was a royal official who made laws or served in the military. The word is from a root that means "patriarch" or "old man," and these long-ago aldermen were, in fact, exclusively male. Today a board of aldermen is basically the same as a city council, consisting of elected representatives who govern a town or city. Many places have begun using the more inclusive term alderperson to refer to these legislators.

Definitions of alderman

1. noun

   a member of a municipal legislative body (as a city council)
   “aldermen usually represent city wards”

   type of:

   representative

   a person who represents others