means the elected (or sometimes appointed) head of a city, town, or borough's local government, charged with leading its administration and standing as its public face.

from From Latin 'maior,' meaning 'greater' or 'larger' — the comparative of 'magnus,' 'great.' The same root that gives us 'major' and 'majority.' It traveled through Old French 'maire' into Middle English, picking up a 'y' along the way. So the title quietly asserts that the mayor is the 'greater one' of the town — a Latin boast still hanging around the necks of city officials everywhere.