Amtmann
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The Amtmann or Ammann (in
Later, the word Beamter superseded the older word Amtmann and has come to mean "official" or "civil servant". The word Amtmann is derived from ambet-ambachtos - "one sent round", Celtic: Latin ambactus "envoy", "herold", "servant", French, ambassadeur, "ambassador". By contrast, the Icelandic word ambátt, "female slave" and the Norwegian ambått "room maid", "maiden", emerged from the Celtic-Latin via Old German/Old Nordic.
In
In Switzerland the Ammann (Amtmann) was an office, since the Middle Ages, elected by the citizens who was the leader of the executive of a
Official use today
Today in Germany, an Amtmann is the official title for an official (
In the Austrian state of Burgenland, Amtmann is the title of a municipal official.
The feminine form, Amtfrau (e.g. Regierungsamtfrau - RAmtfr - or Zollamtfrau - ZAF) has become widely accepted. For a time the word Amtmännin was also used instead of Amtfrau. This term was formerly the norm in several German states and the federal administration. It has however largely disappeared, albeit in the Federal Customs Administration the title Zollamtmännin (an alternative to Zollamtfrau) has been chosen. Originally the introduction of official titles such as Justizamtfrau was started in the 1970s by a Lower Saxon female official/law enforcement officer who refused her posting order as long as it was not made out in the feminine form. In Switzerland, a female Landammann is usually titled and referred to as Frau Landammann.
See also
- Amman (disambiguation)
- Ammann (disambiguation)
- Bezirksamtmann
General and cited references
- Hans-Cord Sarnighausen: "Die alten Amtschreiber und Amtmänner", in: Zeitschrift für Niederdeutsche Familienkunde, Issue 4/2000, pp. 147–152.