heahgerefa

Old English

Etymology

From hēah (“high”) +‎ ġerēfa (“reeve”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxæ͜ɑːx.jeˌreː.fɑ/, [ˈhæ͜ɑːx.jeˌreː.vɑ]

Noun

hēahġerēfa n

1. a title apparently higher in rank than a ġerēfa (“reeve”)
   • c. 996, Ælfric's Lives of Saints

     [Commodus] hine ġesette tō hēahġerefan ofer Alexandrian

     [Commodus] appointed him hēahġerefa over Alexandria

Usage notes

The title is also used to refer to high ranking foreign officials.

Declension

Declension of hēahġerēfa (weak)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	hēahġerēfa	hēahġerēfan
accusative	hēahġerēfan	hēahġerēfan
genitive	hēahġerēfan	hēahġerēfena
dative	hēahġerēfan	hēahġerēfum

References

• Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “heáh-geréfa”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[1], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.