Satrap

A satrap (/ˈsætrəp/) was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median and Persian (Achaemenid) Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic empires.^[2] A satrapy is the territory governed by a satrap.

A satrap served as a viceroy to the king, though with considerable autonomy. The word came to suggest tyranny or ostentatious splendour,^[3]^[4] and its modern usage is a pejorative and refers to any subordinate or local ruler, usually with unfavourable connotations of corruption.^[5]

^ Cahn, Herbert A.; Gerin, Dominique (1988). "Themistocles at Magnesia". The Numismatic Chronicle. 148: 13–20. JSTOR 42668124.
^ "Satrap". Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
^ "satrap". Oxford English Dictionary.
^ Trollope, Anthony (12 May 2011). The Eustace Diamonds. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 626. ISBN 978-0-19-162041-6. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
^ Butterfield, Jeremy, ed. (2015). "satrap". Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage (4 ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 724. ISBN 978-0-19-966135-0.

[1] Cahn, Herbert A.; Gerin, Dominique (1988). "Themistocles at Magnesia". The Numismatic Chronicle. 148: 13–20. JSTOR 42668124.

[2] "Satrap". Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 26 January 2012.

[3] "satrap". Oxford English Dictionary.

[4] Trollope, Anthony (12 May 2011). The Eustace Diamonds. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 626. ISBN 978-0-19-162041-6. Retrieved 28 November 2020.

[5] Butterfield, Jeremy, ed. (2015). "satrap". Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage (4 ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 724. ISBN 978-0-19-966135-0.

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