Meanings
plural voivodes · alternative woiwode · alternative wojewoda · alternative woywode · alternative vaivode · alternative voevod · alternative voevoda · alternative voivod · alternative vojvoda · alternative vojvode · alternative voyevoda · alternative voyvoda · alternative obsolete woywod · alternative obsolete waywode · alternative archaic voivoda · alternative archaic waiwode
- A local ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe, especially early semi-independent rulers of Transylvania.
Who was it but one of my own race who as Voivode crossed the Danube and beat the Turk on his own ground? This was a Dracula indeed!
1897, Bram Stoker, “Jonathan Harker’s Journal—Continued”, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC, chapter III, page 321 more example
George Sechell[…], having been defeated in a battle by the Vayvoda of Transylvania, and taken Prisoner, was for three days together tied naked to a wooden horse, exposed to all manner of tortures, any man might devise against him[…].
1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 27, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC - An administrative chief in modern Poland.
Origin
- Proto-Slavic*vojevoda“army leader; duke; warlord”
- Serbo-Croatianvojvoda
- Russianвоево́да
- Polishwojewoda
- Czechvojevoda
- Bulgarianвойвода
- Englishvoivode
Variously from a number of Slavic languages including Bulgarian войвода (vojvoda), Czech vojevoda, Polish wojewoda, Russian воево́да (vojevóda), and Serbo-Croatian vojvoda, војвода, all from Proto-Slavic *vojevoda (“army leader; duke; warlord”).
More words from Bulgarian, Czech, Polish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian войво́да
- войво́да (vojvóda)local ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Chinese Mandarin 軍政長官 /军政长官
- 軍政長官 /军政长官 (jūnzhèng zhǎngguān)local ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Czech vévoda, vejvoda
- vévodalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
- vejvodalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Finnish voivodi, voivodi
- voivodilocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
- voivodiadministrative chief in modern Poland
French voïvode
- voïvodelocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
German Wojewode, Woiwode
- Wojewodelocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
- Woiwodelocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Greek βοεβόδας
- βοεβόδας (voevódas)local ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Hindi वोयवोदा
- वोयवोदा (voyvodā)local ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Hungarian vajda, vajda
- vajdalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
- vajdaadministrative chief in modern Poland
Japanese ヴォイヴォダ
- ヴォイヴォダ (voivoda)local ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Latin voivoda
- voivodalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Latvian vojevoda
- vojevodalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Lithuanian vaivada
- vaivadalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Polish wojewoda, wojewoda
- wojewodalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
- wojewodaadministrative chief in modern Poland
Portuguese voivoda
- voivodalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Romanian voievod
- voievodlocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Russian воево́да, воево́да
- воево́да (vojevóda)local ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
- воево́да (vojevóda)administrative chief in modern Poland
Slovak vojvoda
- vojvodalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Spanish voevoda, vaivoda
- voevodalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
- vaivodalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
- voivodalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Swedish vojvod
- vojvodlocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Turkish voyvoda, vayvoda
- voyvodalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
- vayvodalocal ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
- voyvodaadministrative chief in modern Poland
Ukrainian воєво́да, воєво́да
- воєво́да (vojevóda)local ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
- воєво́да (vojevóda)administrative chief in modern Poland
Yiddish וואָיעוואָדע
- וואָיעוואָדע (voyevode)local ruler or official in various parts of central and eastern Europe
Cite this entry
voivode. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/voivode
“voivode.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/voivode. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “voivode,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/voivode.
Source: voivode on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.