First published 1897; not yet revised
duchynoun
Factsheet
What does the noun duchy mean?
There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun duchy. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the noun duchy?
About 0.8occurrences per million words in modern written English
1750 | 9.1 |
1760 | 8.2 |
1770 | 7.6 |
1780 | 8.2 |
1790 | 5.8 |
1800 | 5.9 |
1810 | 6.0 |
1820 | 6.2 |
1830 | 5.8 |
1840 | 5.5 |
1850 | 5.2 |
1860 | 4.7 |
1870 | 4.2 |
1880 | 3.9 |
1890 | 3.5 |
1900 | 3.1 |
1910 | 2.7 |
1920 | 2.3 |
1930 | 1.8 |
1940 | 1.5 |
1950 | 1.3 |
1960 | 1.1 |
1970 | 0.96 |
1980 | 0.86 |
1990 | 0.71 |
2000 | 0.66 |
2010 | 0.65 |
How is the noun duchy pronounced?
British English
/ˈdʌtʃi/
DUTCH-ee
U.S. English
/ˈdətʃi/
DU-chee
Where does the noun duchy come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the noun duchy is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for duchy is from before 1382, in Bible (Wycliffite, early version).
duchy is a borrowing from French.
Etymons: French ducheé, duché.
Nearby entries
- ducaton, n.1611–
- Duce, n.1923–
- ducenarious, adj.1656
- duces tecum, n.1617–
- Duchenne, n.1870–
- duchery, n.1387–1572
- duchess, n.c1385–
- duchesse, n.1794–
- duchessship, n.1607–
- duchessy, adj.1870–
- duchy, n.a1382–
- duchy-chamber, n.1555–
- duchy-court, n.1607–
- duchy-house, n.1609–
- duchy-peerage, n.1750
- ducible, adj.1633–57
- duck, n.¹Old English–
- duck, n.²1554–
- duck, n.³1640–
- duck, n.⁴1943–
- duck, v.a1300–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for duchy, n.
duchy, n. was first published in 1897; not yet revised.
duchy, n. was last modified in December 2023.
Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into duchy, n. in December 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1897)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Citation details
Factsheet for duchy, n.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- ducaton, n.1611–
- Duce, n.1923–
- ducenarious, adj.1656
- duces tecum, n.1617–
- Duchenne, n.1870–
- duchery, n.1387–1572
- duchess, n.c1385–
- duchesse, n.1794–
- duchessship, n.1607–
- duchessy, adj.1870–
- duchy, n.a1382–
- duchy-chamber, n.1555–
- duchy-court, n.1607–
- duchy-house, n.1609–
- duchy-peerage, n.1750
- ducible, adj.1633–57
- duck, n.¹Old English–
- duck, n.²1554–
- duck, n.³1640–
- duck, n.⁴1943–
- duck, v.a1300–