NYT Dictionary
HETMAN
/ˈhɛtmən/NounHET-manhet-man · 2 syllablesAdvanced/Professional
Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2019
Meaning
A Cossack headman or general.
Etymology
Origin: German
From Polish hetman, probably from Middle High German houbetman, heuptman (“commander”), from Old High German houbitman, from Proto-West Germanic *haubidamann. Compare modern German Hauptmann (“captain”), Haupt, Mann. The Polish e in hetman attests to a borrowing from an East Central German dialect, in which Middle High German -öu- gives -ē-. Doublet of head man.
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2019.