What is "landdrost"

Landdrost \Land"drost`\, n.; pl. -drosten . Sometimes incorrectly Landtrost \Landtrost\ [D., fr. land land + drost a kind of official; akin to G. truchsess.] (In South Africa)

1. A chief magistrate in rural districts. He was replaced in 1827 by ``resident magistrates.''

2. The president of the Heemraad.

n. (context historical English) A type of magistrate in South Africa, abolished under the British in 1827.

Landdrost was the title of various officials with local jurisdiction in the Netherlands and a number of former territories in the Dutch Empire. The term is a Dutch compound, with land meaning "region" and drost, from Middle Dutch drossāte which originally referred to a lord's chief retainer (who later became the medieval seneschal or steward), equivalent to:

• an English reeve or steward;
• a Low German Drost(e) of Northern Germany ( cognate with German Truchsess); or
• German Meier (from Latin majordomus).