Dignitaries

How to spell dignitaries

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce dignitaries

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does dignitaries mean?

1. nounPeople who hold high rank or an important official position, especially those treated with ceremony at public events.

Dignitaries in a sentence

• Visiting dignitaries were seated in the front row for the opening ceremony.

• Security was tightened because several foreign dignitaries attended the summit.

Where does dignitaries come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin adjective dignus, meaning 'worthy' or 'deserving', from which Latin formed the noun dignitas, meaning 'worth', 'merit', or 'high rank'. From dignitas came the medieval Latin dignitarius, describing a person who held a position of worth or office. English took the word in through French during the 1600s, where a dignitary was someone holding a position of honour or authority, especially in the church or the state. The same dignus root sits inside the everyday words 'dignity' and 'dignified', which is a useful reminder that the spelling keeps the 'digni-' core before the ending. The plural 'dignitaries' simply turns the final -y into -ies, which is the spot where writers most often slip.

How the word is built

• digni- (from Latin dignus: worthy)
• -tary (forming a noun for a worthy person)
• -es (plural)