peer of the realm
1
9.9
- noun
- /pɪə əv ðə rɛlm/
- UK
:
par del reino
- In 1711, Louis XIV raised him to duke and peer of the realm.
Examples
-
He is a peer of the realm.
-
The man was an aristocrat, a peer of the realm.
Fiction book (1990) -
A peer of the realm held much more power than a vicar's daughter, and he could make her life miserable if he chose.
Fiction book (1997) -
As a peer of the realm, I must safeguard my own channels of information and respect the anonymity of those who provide me with the facts I require to discharge my duty to the Crown.
Fiction book (2002) -
D'Antin, in his roles as head of Batiments and as peer of the realm, was required to entertain the czar.
Academic text (1996) -
As a peer of the realm, he has the privilege of participating in debates in the House of Lords.
-
The peer of the realm attended a special ceremony to celebrate his elevation to the nobility.
-
Once a peer of the realm, she felt a deep responsibility to represent her constituents in the House of Lords.
Synonyms
335
4.8
A man who has a noble title and may sit in the House of Lords
63
5.3
A person from a high social family with a title
48
8.6
A noble person with a title who sits in the House of Lords
14
5.6
A man from a high social class who has a title
A woman who has a noble title, often in Britain, or a woman whose husband was a noble
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'peer' (a noble) combined with 'of the realm' (of the kingdom/territory) yields 'a noble of the realm', so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the phrase. The construction follows a common 'X of the Y' noun phrase pattern cross-linguistically and is therefore transparent, though slightly formal in register.
Etymology
The term peer of the realm comes from the idea that top nobles were peers — 'equals' — in the realm, the ruler's country. They were the small group who could advise the ruler and sit in important meetings, so today it means a noble who has the right to sit in the House of Lords.