satrap

sa·trap

S0099700 (sā′trăp′, săt′răp′)n.1. A governor of a province in ancient Persia.2. A ruler.3. A subordinate bureaucrat or official: "The satraps of Capitol Hill will not sit idly by" (David Nyhan).4. Usage Problem A satrapy.

[Middle English satrape, from Old French, from Latin satrapēs, from Greek, from Old Persian khshathrapāvā, protector of the province : khshathra-, realm, province + pāvā, protector; see pā- in Indo-European roots.]Usage Note: In its primary and figurative senses, satrap refers to a person. Sometimes the word is used to refer to the geographical location or organization under the control of a satrap, as in this quotation from a 2014 editorial in Forbes magazine:"Plunging oil prices are hammering Moscow far more than are the tepid, half-hearted sanctions imposed by the West after Putin's ... machinations to effectively make Ukraine a Russian satrap." The correct term for this sense, however, is satrapy, and most writers maintain this distinction.

satrap

(ˈsætrəp) n1. (Historical Terms) (in ancient Persia) a provincial governor2. (Historical Terms) a subordinate ruler, esp a despotic one[C14: from Latin satrapa, from Greek satrapēs, from Old Persian khshathrapāvan, literally: protector of the land]

sa•trap

(ˈseɪ træp, ˈsæ-)

n. 1. a governor of a province in ancient Persia. 2. a subordinate ruler, often a despot. [1350–1400; < Latin satrapa < Greek satrápēs < Old Persian khshathra-pāvan- country-protector]

Thesaurus

Noun

satrap - a governor of a province in ancient Persiagovernor - the head of a state government

Translations

Satrapсатрап

satrap

(sā`trăp), governor of a province (satrapy) of the ancient Persian Empire. He was nominated by the king and given extensive powers. Darius IDarius I
(Darius the Great) , d. 486 B.C., king of ancient Persia (521–486 B.C.), called also Dariavaush and Darius Hystaspis (after his father, Hystaspes or Vishtaspa).
..... Click the link for more information. reorganized the privileges and duties of his satraps in the 6th cent. B.C.; the number of satraps varied from 20 to 28 during his reign. To prevent the concentration of power in one man's hands, certain officials, responsible only to the king, checked up on the satrap. The king also regulated the taxes and imposed a fixed sum upon each satrap. Alexander the Great revised the system, replacing Persians with Macedonians and reducing their powers. The command of the troops was taken from the satraps, who lost the right to engage mercenaries and to issue coinage.

Satrap

the vicegerent of a satrapy and the head of its administration. The satrap coined silver and copper coins, was responsible for the collection of tribute, and was in charge of local civil servants.

satrap

1. (in ancient Persia) a provincial governor 2. a subordinate ruler, esp a despotic one

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Words related to satrap

noun a governor of a province in ancient Persia

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