Definition

A governor or official who was in charge of a province in ancient Persia, often acting as a subordinate ruler or bureaucrat.

Example

The satrap was responsible for collecting taxes and maintaining order in the province.

Conversation

Did you know that a satrap was like a governor in ancient Persia?

Really? I had no idea they had such an interesting political system.

Yeah, they were responsible for managing provinces and collecting taxes.

That sounds like a tough job, especially with all the different cultures they had to deal with.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Satrap → It originates from the Old Persian word 'xšaθrapāvan' (meaning protector of the realm), which is a combination of 'xšaθra' (meaning realm or kingdom) and 'pāvan' (meaning protector or guardian). A satrap was a governor of a province in ancient Persia, responsible for maintaining order and collecting taxes.

Memory Tip

Think of a 'protector' ('pāvan') of a 'realm' ('xšaθra') — that's what a satrap was, a governor looking after a province.

Visually Confused Words