viscount
- noun
- /ˈvaɪskaʊnt/
- The word nobility, in Great Britain at least, refers only to men and women holding the top five ranks of honors in this descending order: duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron.
- viscount and earl
- viscount and baron
- viscount, duke, and earl
Examples
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Well, as a matter of fact, I'm a viscount.
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Dukes and viscounts sit nearest the King unless there is a marquis present.
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The most famous, of course, was Viscount Nelson.
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So is this all right to welcome the viscount and his nephew?
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The viscount is not staying, just the nephew.
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I am to become an earl, your brother a viscount.
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Why not a viscount's daughter?
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It was chaired by Viscount Hinchinbrook and they took stock of the collection.
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There were two earls, a viscount, and a marquis on the table this year, and only twenty-eight hungry debutantes.
Blog text (21) -
Dukes and viscounts sit nearest the King unless there is a marquis present.
Synonyms
A man who has a noble title and may sit in the House of Lords
A person from a high social family with a title
A noble person with a title who sits in the House of Lords
A man from a high social class who has a title
A British noble who can sit in the House of Lords
A French noble rank below a count and above a baron
Compounds
A British general who led troops to victory in North Africa and led troops in the Normandy invasion
How Noble
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Viscount comes from old words vice 'deputy' and count 'nobleman', so it originally meant a 'deputy count' who helped or stood in for a count. That's why today a viscount is a noble title that ranks below an earl or count.