hetman

H4E1T1M3A1N1

noun

A Cossack headman or general.

OriginPolish hetman ← Middle High German houbetman ← Old High German houbitman →
UncommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

nounhetman (plural hetmans or hetmen)

plural hetmans · plural hetmen

  1. historyA Cossack headman or general.
  2. Title used by the second-highest military commander in Poland and Lithuania (15th to 18th century).

Origin

  1. Proto-West Germanic*haubidamann
  2. Old High Germanhoubitman
  3. Middle High Germanhoubetman
  4. Polishhetman
  5. Englishhetman

From Polish hetman, probably from Middle High German houbetman, heuptman (“commander”), from Old High German houbitman, from Proto-West Germanic *haubidamann. Compare modern German Hauptmann (“captain”), Haupt, Mann. The Polish e in hetman attests to a borrowing from an East Central German dialect, in which Middle High German -öu- gives -ē-. Doublet of head man.

More words from Polish, Middle High German, Old High German

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian хе́тман
  • хе́тман (hétman)a historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Chinese Mandarin 蓋特曼 /盖特曼
  • 蓋特曼 /盖特曼 (gàitèmàn)a historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Czech hejtman
  • hejtmana historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Danish hetman
  • hetmana historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Finnish hetmani
  • hetmania historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
German Hetman
  • Hetmana historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Greek χετμάνος
  • χετμάνος (chetmános)a historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Hungarian hetman
  • hetmana historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Italian etmano
  • etmanoa historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Japanese ヘトマン
  • ヘトマン (hetoman)a historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Korean 헤트만
  • 헤트만 (heteuman)a historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Lithuanian etmonas
  • etmonasa historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Polish hetman
  • hetmana historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Portuguese hétmã, hétmane
  • hétmãa historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
  • hétmanea historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Romanian hatman
  • hatmana historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Russian ге́тман
  • ге́тман (gétman)a historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Spanish hetman
  • hetmana historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Swedish hetman
  • hetmana historical military commander in various Eastern European countries
Ukrainian ге́тьман
  • ге́тьман (hétʹman)a historical military commander in various Eastern European countries

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

anthemHemantmenthaHamnetManthe
Cite this entry
APA

hetman. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hetman

MLA

“hetman.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hetman. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hetman,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hetman.

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