tetrarch

te·trarch

noun \ˈte-ˌträrk, ˈtē-\

Definition of TETRARCH

1

: a governor of the fourth part of a province

2

: a subordinate prince

— te·trar·chic \te-ˈträr-kik, tē-\ adjective

Origin of TETRARCH

Middle English, from Latin tetrarcha, from Greek tetrarchēs, from tetra- + -archēs -arch

First Known Use: 12th century

tetrarch

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In Greco-Roman antiquity, the ruler of a principality, originally the ruler of one-quarter of a region or province. The first tetrarchs ruled the four tetrarchies of Thessaly under Philip II of Macedonia. Tetrarchs ruled in Galatia (in Asia Minor) before the Roman conquest (169 BC) and still later in Hellenized Syria and Palestine, where the title denoted the semi-independent ruler of a divided kingdom or minor district. Herod the Great's realm after his death (4 BC) was ruled by his three sons, two of whom were called tetrarchs.