liege lord
1
9.9
- noun
- /liːdʒ lɔrd/
- Archaic
:
señor feudal
- In feudal society, each vassal owed service and allegiance to their liege lord in exchange for land and protection.
Examples
-
The knight pledged his unwavering loyalty to his liege lord, promising to defend the kingdom at all costs.
-
In return, the Irish king offered to recognize the king of England as his liege lord.
Academic text (1995) -
Oh my liege lord...
-
Look now upon our liege lord, Rudolf V... ...undoubted king of this realm.
-
She knows that even though she was head of her class in law school, she only got the job at IMG because of her connections, which include being fostered in a vampire household whose liege lord is old friends with one of the managing partners.
Blog text (31) -
"I'd tell ye the proper Gaelic for your liege lord and ruler, but it isna a word suitable for the lips of a lady, Sasse nach or no.
Fiction book (1991) -
Dishonor or disobedience to the liege lord was much more than an insult to his personal dignity; it was an act of disrespect and a wound to the entire social fabric, affecting everyone's place and meaning in it.
Academic text (1992) -
Allegiance: 1 a: the obligation of a feudal vassal to his liege lord; b (1): the fidelity owed by a subject or citizen to a sovereign or government; (2): the obligation of an alien to the government.
Blog text (3) -
During the council, the barons discussed how to best serve their liege lord while ensuring peace in the realm.
Synonyms
422
4.8
A man who has power over people, like a ruler or noble
17
9.9
A lord who receives loyalty and service from knights
2
9.5
A rich, powerful man who holds land from the king and gives soldiers to the king
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'liege' already denotes a feudal superior to whom service is owed and 'lord' denotes a nobleman, so their combination simply specifies a feudal superior. This is a compositional, largely tautological historical phrase (paralleled in other languages' feudal terminology), so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand the MWE.
Etymology
Liege lord comes from long ago in the Middle Ages when people promised loyalty to one main ruler. A knight would kneel and promise to serve his liege or chosen lord, so Liege lord means the lord you must be 'loyal' to.