tanist

noun /ˈtænɪst/

1. The heir presumptive to the chieftainship or kingship of a Celtic clan in ancient Ireland, Scotland or Mann.

   historical

   Lover, for her love he prowled with colonel Richard Burke, tanist of his sept, under the walls of Clerkenwell and, crouching, saw a flame of vengeance hurl them upward in the fog.

Where it comes from

From Irish tánaiste (“second-in-command”). Doublet of Tánaiste.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry tanist (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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