Ho·hen·zol·lern

(hō′ən-zŏl′ərn, -tsôl′-)

German royal family who ruled Brandenburg from 1415 and later extended their control to Prussia (1525). Under Frederick I (ruled 1701-1713) the family's possessions were unified as the kingdom of Prussia. From 1871 to 1918 Hohenzollern monarchs ruled the German Empire.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Hohenzollern

(ˈhəʊənˌzɒlən; German hoːənˈtsɔlərn)

(Biography) a German noble family, the younger (Franconian) branch of which provided rulers of Brandenburg (1417–1701) and Prussia (1701–1918). The last kings of Prussia (1871–1918) were also emperors of Germany

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Ho•hen•zol•lern

(ˈhoʊ ənˌzɒl ərn)

n.

a member of the German royal family that ruled in Brandenburg, Prussia, and Germany 1415–1918.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

Hohenzollern - a German noble family that ruled Brandenburg and Prussia

dynasty - a sequence of powerful leaders in the same family

royal family, royal house, royal line, royalty - royal persons collectively; "the wedding was attended by royalty"

Frederick I - son of Frederick William who in 1701 became the first king of Prussia (1657-1713)

Frederick William, Great Elector - the Elector of Brandenburg who rebuilt his domain after its destruction during the Thirty Years' War (1620-1688)

Frederick William I - son of Frederick I who became king of Prussia in 1713; reformed and strengthened the Prussian army (1688-1740)

Frederick William II - king of Prussia who became involved in a costly war with France (1744-1797)

Frederick William III - king of Prussia who became involved in the Napoleonic Wars (1770-1840)

Frederick William IV - king of Prussia who violently suppressed democratic movements (1795-1865)

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The Zeppelin circled slowly over this scene twice while the Prince surveyed it from the swinging gallery; it then rose towards the centre of the crescent and transferred the Prince and his suite, Kurt included, to the Hohenzollern, which had been chosen as the flagship during the impending battle.

He started off with a bright air of knowing his way and turned a corner or so, and was only beginning to suspect that he did not know where he was going when his attention was recalled to the sky by the report of a gun from the Hohenzollern and celestial cheering.

Only one little knot of four Germans and perhaps a dozen Asiatics remained fighting about the Hohenzollern and the Prince as he circled in a last attempt to save Niagara.

Two of the Germans swooped and rose again, but the Hohenzollern had suffered too much for that.

It seemed for a time that the Hohenzollern must needs break her back upon the Parting of the Waters, and then for a time her propeller flopped and frothed in the river and thrust the mass of buckling, crumpled wreckage towards the American shore.

View in context

The members of the West Wind's dynasty are modified in a way by the regions they rule, as a Hohenzollern, without ceasing to be himself, becomes a Roumanian by virtue of his throne, or a Saxe-Coburg learns to put the dress of Bulgarian phrases upon his particular thoughts, whatever they are.

View in context

The largely ruined Rheinfels Castle, set high above the most picturesque stretch of the Rhine, was once a property of the Hohenzollern family, and has been owned by the town of St Goar since 1924.

Kaiser Wilhelm's descendant loses bid for return of castle

They write so that one need not be an officer to understand the differences between tactics and strategy, or to understand that the traditional Prussian preference for the latter over the former contributed to the demise of the Hohenzollern empire.

Imperial Germany and War, 1871-1918

Although known as a cathedral, it is actually the court church of the Hohenzollern dynasty, the rulers of Prussia and, later, the German Emperors.

Do mention the war; There's so much to see and do on city break to Berlin, including poignant reminders of brutal Nazi regime and Wall that divided East and West NEIL MURRAY

The battalion spent several months in Armentieres and in the Ypres Salient, moving on to fight at Loos, the Hohenzollern Redoubt, Passchendaele, and on the Somme.

French town turns out to honour Jim's bravery; Croix de Guerre recipient remembered