kontor

K5O1N1T1O1R1
UK/ˈkɒntɔː/US/ˈkɑntɔɹ/

noun

One of the four chief trading posts of the Hanseatic League that enjoyed a great degree of legal autonomy; located in Bruges, London, Bergen and Novgorod.

OriginGerman Kontor ← Middle Low German kontôr ← Middle Dutch contoor →
UncommonScrabble 10
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Meanings

kontor1

nounkontor (plural kontors or kontore)

plural kontors · plural kontore · alternative Kontor

  1. historicalOne of the four chief trading posts of the Hanseatic League that enjoyed a great degree of legal autonomy; located in Bruges, London, Bergen and Novgorod.

Kontor2

nounKontor (plural Kontors or Kontore)

plural Kontors · plural Kontore

  1. Alternative letter-case form of kontor.

Origin

  1. Middle Frenchcontoir
  2. Middle Dutchcontoor
  3. Middle Low Germankontôr“commercial branch; writing room; counting desk/table”
  4. GermanKontor
  5. Englishkontor

Attested since late 19th century. Learned borrowing from German Kontor and Middle Low German kontôr (“commercial branch; writing room; counting desk/table”), from Middle Dutch contoor, contoir, comptoir, from Middle French contoir, comptoir, from conter, compter (“to count”) + -oir (instrument suffix). Doublet of cantore, computer, and counter.

More words from German, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Sounds the same

contour (one pronunciation)
Cite this entry
APA

kontor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kontor

MLA

“kontor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kontor. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kontor,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kontor.

Source: kontor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.