Hansa
noun
Han·sa ˈhan(t)-sə 
ˈhän-(ˌ)zä
ˈhän-(ˌ)zä variants or Hanse
ˈhan(t)s
ˈhän-zə
1
: a league originally constituted of merchants of various free German cities dealing abroad in the medieval period and later of the cities themselves and organized to secure greater safety and privileges in trading
2
: a medieval merchant guild or trading association
Hanseatic
ˌhan(t)-sē-ˈa-tik
noun or adjective 
Word History
Etymology
Hansa from Medieval Latin, from Middle Low German hanse; Hanse from Middle English Hanze, from Anglo-French hanse, from Middle Low German
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1