GRANDEE

(Span, grande; from grande dc rspana.) The highest title of Spanish nobility. The collective body of the higher nobility in Spain is termed la grande i a. They were originally the same with the ricos hombres. Grandees bear different titles — duke, marquis, .; but there is no e ential difference of rank between these titles: all are equal among themselves. Grandeeships descend through females, and thus become accumulated in families. (Quart, Rev., 1838.) [s. 542]