Now Hist. Forms: α. 6–7 vayuod(e, 7 vayvod, 7, 9 vayvode, 8– vaywode. β. 6 uai-, 7 vaiuoda; 7 vaiuod, 7–8 vaivod (7 vavoyd), 7–9 vaivode, 8 vaiwode. [Ultimately ad. older Magyar vajvoda (now vajda), representing the common Slavonic voj(e)voda VOIVODE. The immediate source is partly mod.L. vayvoda (cf. Sp., Pg., and It. vaivoda) or F. vayvode. See also WAYWODE.] A local ruler or official in various parts of south-eastern Europe (in older use esp. in Transylvania).
α. 1560. Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 71. He had an adversarye John Sepuse, the vayuode of transsylvania.
1590. Sir J. Smyth, Disc. Weapons, 44 b. In a great battaile fought betwixt him and that famous Vayuod Iuan Huniades Coruino.
1665. Manley, Grotius’ Low C. Wars, 579. The one [sister], marryed to the King of Poland; the other, to Sigismund Battor, Prince or Vayvod of Transilvania.
1685. Lond. Gaz., No. 2070/2. The Vayvode Janco was drawing together a great Body of Morlacks with a design to attack some place in the Province of Bosnia.
1768. Ann. Reg., I. 19. Count Potocki, Vaywode of Kiow, had no less than ten towns, and one hundred and thirty villages, destroyed in his own territories.
fig. 1613. Dekker, Diuels Last Will, Wks. (Grosart), III. 351. Behemah Dornschweyn,… chiefe Vayuode of Vsury, Symony, Bribery, Periury,… etc.
β. 1562. J. Shute, trans. Cambini’s Turk. Wars, 7. John Uaiuoda soughte to haue al the glorie of the victorie to him selfe.
1601. R. Johnson, Kingd. & Commw. (1603), 51. The Vaiuods of Valachia, Moldauia and Transiluania hold their estates by vertue of this bribery.
1696. trans. Du Mont’s Voy. Levant, xix. 242. The Government of the Cities is manag’d by Five Kinds of Officers, the Bassa, Sub-Bassa, Vaivode, Cadi and Receiver of the Customs.
1771. W. Guthrie’s Geogr. (ed. 3), 114. Their ancient nobility were divided into knezes, or knazeys, boyars, and vaivods.
1776. Ann. Reg., II. 7. At Athens … his patrimony had suffered from the extortions of a tyrannical Vaiwode.
1833. Ellis, Elgin Marbles, I. 2. Lord Elgin then received very strongly expressed firmauns from the Porte, which were carried … to the Vaivode of Athens and the Disdar of the Acropolis.
transf. 1618. Bolton, Florus, II. xiv. (1636), 132. Andriscus…, delivered up into our hands by that Vaivod, or petty King, of Thrace to whom hee had fled for succour.
