toparch

plural toparchs · alternative Toparch · alternative topark

1. The prince or ruler of a small district, city, or petty state; a petty "king".

   The toparchs of India and Ethiopia.

   1737, Flavius Josephus, translated by William Whiston, Antiquities of the Jews, book XI, chapter iii, § 2

   4 more examples

   [B]y those many kings mentioned in the Old Testament, "thirty and one" in the little land of Canaan, (Joshua xii. 24,) is meant only toparchs, not great kings, but lords of a little dition and dominion; […]

   1640, Thomas Fuller, “A Comment on 1 Cor. XI. 18, &c.”, in Ioseph’s Partie-coloured Coat: Containing, a Comment on Part of the II. Chapter of the I. Epistle of S. Paul to the Corinthians. […], London: […] Iohn Dawson, for Iohn Williams, […], →OCLC, page 16

   Toparks, Kings of Cities or narrow territories, such as were the Kings of Sodome and Gomorrah, the Kings of Jericho and Ai.

   1646, Thomas Browne, chapter VIII, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], London: […] T[homas] H[arper] for Edward Dod, […], →OCLC, 7th book, page 353

   About the same time […] flourished Cadocus, abbot of Llancarvan in Glamorganshire, son of the prince and toparch of that country.

   1655, Thomas Fuller, “6ª Century”, in The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI), pages 116–117

   The top-arch, Turlogh O’Connor, was the friend of O’Rourke.

   1852, Charlotte Mary Yonge, chapter XXII, in Cameos from English History, volume I, published 1877, page 162

plural Toparchs

1. obsoleteObsolete form of toparch.