earl
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/ ɜrl /
noun
a British nobleman of a rank below that of marquis and above that of viscount: called count for a time after the Norman conquest. The wife of an earl is a countess.
(in Anglo-Saxon England) a governor of one of the great divisions of England, including East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria, and Wessex.
Origin of earl
before 900; Middle English
erl, Old English
eorl; cognate with Old Saxon
erl man, Old Norse
jarl chieftain
Words nearby earl
earflap,
earful,
earhart,
earhart, amelia,
earing,
earl,
earl grey,
earl marshal,
earl palatine,
earlap,
earldom
Definition for earl (2 of 2)
Earl
or Earle
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/ ɜrl /
noun
a male given name: from the old English word meaning “noble.”
Example sentences from the Web for earl
British Dictionary definitions for earl
earl
/ (ɜːl) /
noun
(in the British Isles) a nobleman ranking below a marquess and above a viscount
Female equivalent: countess
(in Anglo-Saxon England) a royal governor of any of the large divisions of the kingdom, such as Wessex
Word Origin for earl
Old English
eorl; related to Old Norse
jarl chieftain, Old Saxon
erl man