/het"meuhn/ , n. , pl. hetmans .
1. the title assumed by the chief of Ukrainian Cossacks of the Dnieper River region, with headquarters at Zaporozhe.
2. ataman.
[ 1700-10; hét'man
hetman houbetman leader, chief (G Hauptmann captain; cf. G dial. (Silesia) Hettmann, Hötmann; see HEAD, MAN 1 ) ]