Dictionary

Hanse en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /hænzə/
• /hæns/

Etymology

From Middle English hanse, from Old French hanse (“guild; guild fee”), from Medieval Latin hansa, from Old High German hansa, from Proto-West Germanic *hansu, from Proto-Germanic *hansō (“gathering; coalition; gang of men”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱómsōd (“union; gathering”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, by, with, along”) + *sed- (“to sit”). In reference to the Hanseatic League, via German Hanse. Cognate with Old English hōs (“company, retinue, escorts”),

Meanings

1. (historical) A merchant guild, particularly the Fellowship of London Merchants (the "Old Hanse") given a monopoly on London's foreign trade by the Normans or its successor, the Company of Merchant Adventurers (the "New Hanse"), incorporated in 1497 and chartered under Henry VII and Elizabeth I.
2. (historical) The rights and privileges of such guilds, particularly their trade monopolies.
3. (historical) A commercial association of Scottish free burghs in the Middle Ages.
4. (historical) The Hanseatic League: a commercial association of German towns in the Middle Ages.
5. (alt-of, alternative, historical) Alternative form of hanse, the fees payable to a Hanse or its guildhall.
   alt of hanse

Forms

Deriveds

Hansard · Hanse town · Hanseatic · Hanse city · hanse-house · hanse-penny · hansing · Hanse association · Hanse league · hanse-gild · Hanse merchant · Hanseatic League · hansing-silver

Synonyms

hanse and guildhall (fees or residence) · guild (merchant guild) · Hanseatic League (league of German cities)

Translations (13)

mr हानसं (merchant guild) · la Ansus (Scottish commercial league) · pl hanza (merchant guild) · pt hansa (merchant guild) · de Hanse (merchant guild) · fr Hanse (merchant guild) · de Gilde (merchant guild) · nds-de hanse (merchant guild) · nds-de gill (merchant guild) · sv hansa (merchant guild) · la hansa (merchant guild) · cs Hanza (merchant guild) · ru Га́нза (merchant guild)