Duke

Duke

A duke (male) or duchess (female) can either be a monarch ruling over a duchy or a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch. The title comes from French duc, itself from the Latin dux, 'leader', a term used in republican Rome to refer to a military commander without an official rank (particularly one of Germanic or Celtic origin), and later coming to mean the leading military commander of a province.

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Famous quotes containing the word duke:

    That celebrated,
    Cultivated
    Underrated
    Nobleman,
    The Duke of Plaza-Toro!
    Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836–1911)

    We have in the service the scum of the earth as common soldiers.
    Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke Wellington (1769–1852)

    When the Prince of Wales [later King George IV] and the Duke of York went to visit their brother Prince William [later William IV] at Plymouth, and all three being very loose in their manners, and coarse in their language, Prince William said to his ship’s crew, “now I hope you see that I am not the greatest blackguard of my family.”
    Horace Walpole (1717–1797)