elector

elec·tor

noun \i-ˈlek-tər, -ˌtȯr\

Definition of ELECTOR

1

: one qualified to vote in an election

2

: one entitled to participate in an election: as

a : any of the German princes entitled to take part in choosing the Holy Roman Emperor

b : a member of the electoral college in the U.S.

First Known Use of ELECTOR

15th century

Rhymes with ELECTOR

bisector, collector, connector, convector, corrector, defector, deflector, detector, director, dissector, effector, ejector, erector, infector, injector, inspector, neglecter, objector, perfecter, projector, prosector, prospector, protector, reflector, selector, trisector

elector

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Prince of the Holy Roman Empire who had a right to participate in electing the German emperor. Beginning c. 1273, and with the confirmation of the Golden Bull, there were seven electors: the archbishops of Trier, Mainz, and Cologne; the duke of Saxony; the count palatine of the Rhine; the margrave of Brandenburg; and the king of Bohemia. Other electorates were created much later for Bavaria (1623–1778), Hanover (1708), and Hesse-Kassel (1803), but by the 17th century the electors' office had become meaningless because the Habsburg dynasty produced the de facto emperors. The office disappeared when the empire was abolished in 1806.

Variants of ELECTOR

elector German Kurfürst.