archduke

noun

arch·​duke (ˌ)ärch-ˈdük How to pronounce archduke (audio)
-ˈdyük
1
: a sovereign prince
2
: a prince of the imperial family of Austria
archdukedom
(ˌ)ärch-ˈdük-dəm How to pronounce archduke (audio)
-ˈdyük-
noun

Examples of archduke in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The next morning a frail Bosnian student shot an Austrian archduke. — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 7 Jan. 2024 The next morning, a frail Bosnian student shot an Austrian archduke. — Ed Lotterman, Idaho Statesman, 24 Jan. 2024 Franz Ferdinand — indie lads, not archduke — is now two full decades into their history, enough so that Hits to the Head, a buoyant greatest-of album, will be released on March 11. — Vulture, 2 Mar. 2022 Shawcross deftly reexamines the tragicomic rule of the Austrian archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, the Habsburg prince whom France briefly imposed on Mexico in the 1860s. — Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2022 See All Example Sentences for archduke

Word History

Etymology

Middle French archeduc, from arche- arch- + duc duke

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of archduke was in the 15th century

Rhymes for archduke

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Browse Nearby Words

archduchy
archduke
archdukedom
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Archduke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/archduke. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on archduke

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about archduke

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