alderman

Etymology

From Middle English alderman, aldermon, from Old English ealdorman, ealdormann, from ealdor (“elder, parent, chief, prince, author”) + mann (“man”). See ealdorman.

noun

1. A member of a municipal legislative body in a city or town.
2. (UK, historical, obsolete slang) A half-crown coin; its value, 30 pence.
   The price of a case (five shillings piece bad) from the smasher is about one shilling; an alderman (two and sixpence) about sixpence; a peg (shilling) about threepence; a downer or sprat (sixpence) about twopence. 1859, Snowden's magistrates assistant, page 90
   Half-a-crown is known as an alderman, half a bull, half a tusheroon, and a madza caroon; whilst a crown piece, or five shillings, may be called either a bull, or a caroon, or a cartwheel, or a coachwheel, or a thick-un, or a tusheroon. 1859, J.C. Hotten, A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words
3. A long pipe for smoking.
   In one part of Cockaigne an amalgamation of these two last has lately taken place; and the pleasure experienced by the parishioners of Walbrook is unbounded when smoking an alderman and churchwarden. 1843, John William Carleton, The Sporting Review, volume 10, page 419
4. (US, slang) A potbelly, paunch.
   He'd exercise, get the fat off, because if he let it go, he'd have too much on and maybe make his heart worse, and you looked like hell with an alderman. … And she wouldn't want a guy who stuck out in front like a balloon. 1934, James T. Farrell, chapter 13, in The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan,