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Glite Dictionary
Lords Temporal

Lords Temporal

9.9
Members of the British House of Lords who are not bishops
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : Lores Temporales
  • In feudal times, society was viewed as being made up of three estates, a "trinity," functioning under the king's beneficence: the Lords Spiritual, the Lords Temporal, and the Peasants.

Examples

  • The Lords Temporal debated the new legislation that affects the entire nation.

  • Many of the Lords Temporal have ancestral titles that date back centuries.

  • During the ceremony, the role of the Lords Temporal was emphasized in the governance of the country.

Synonyms

peerage
vsLords Temporal
  • UK
3 8.9

A group of people with noble titles in the United Kingdom

is narrower meaning only the secular members of the upper house
peer of the realm
vsLords Temporal
  • UK
1 9.9

A British noble who can sit in the House of Lords

refers only to secular members rather than all entitled members

Surface Forms

Lords Temporal singular
Lords Temporals plural

Morphology

Lord + temporal

The meaning 'secular members of the House of Lords' is directly inferable from combining 'Lord' (a noble title) with 'temporal' (relating to worldly, non‑spiritual matters): it denotes lords concerned with temporal rather than spiritual affairs. Although formal and specific to constitutional contexts, the headword+adjective composition is transparent and the distinction between temporal/spiritual roles exists in many languages, so a learner who knows both words would understand the phrase.

Etymology

Lords Temporal joins Lords and Temporal, where Temporal long ago meant 'of the world' or 'not religious'. The name shows these are the non-religious members of the House of Lords, not the church bishops, so it means 'secular members' today.