Hansa

noun

Han·​sa ˈhan(t)-sə  ˈhän-(ˌ)zä 

variants or Hanse

ˈhan(t)s 

ˈhän-zə

1

: a league originally constituted of merchants of various free German cities dealing abroad in the medieval period and later of the cities themselves and organized to secure greater safety and privileges in trading

2

: a medieval merchant guild or trading association

Hanseatic

ˌhan(t)-sē-ˈa-tik 

noun or adjective

Word History

Etymology

Hansa from Medieval Latin, from Middle Low German hanse; Hanse from Middle English Hanze, from Anglo-French hanse, from Middle Low German

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1