The word lord means

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler.[1][2] The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are entitled to courtesy titles. The collective «Lords» can refer to a group or body of peers.

Etymology[edit]

The Old English word ‘hlaford’ evolved into ‘lord’.

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, the etymology of the word can be traced back to the Old English word hlāford which originated from hlāfweard meaning «loaf-ward» or «bread-keeper», reflecting the Germanic tribal custom of a chieftain providing food for his followers.[3] The appellation «lord» is primarily applied to men, while for women the appellation «lady» is used. This is no longer universal: the Lord of Mann, a title previously held by the Queen of the United Kingdom, and female Lords Mayor are examples of women who are styled as «Lord».

Historical usage[edit]

Feudalism[edit]

Under the feudal system, «lord» had a wide, loose and varied meaning. An overlord was a person from whom a landholding or a manor was held by a mesne lord or vassal under various forms of feudal land tenure. The modern term «landlord» is a vestigial survival of this function. A liege lord was a person to whom a vassal owed sworn allegiance. Neither of these terms were titular dignities, but rather factual appellations, which described the relationship between two or more persons within the highly stratified feudal social system. For example, a man might be lord of the manor to his own tenants but also a vassal of his own overlord, who in turn was a vassal of the King. Where a knight was a lord of the manor, he was referred to in contemporary documents as «John (Surname), knight, lord of (manor name)». A feudal baron was a true titular dignity, with the right to attend Parliament, but a feudal baron, Lord of the Manor of many manors, was a vassal of the King.

Manors[edit]

The substantive title of «lord of the manor» came into use in the English medieval system of feudalism after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The title «Lord of the Manor» was a titular feudal dignity which derived its force from the existence and operation of a manorial court or court baron at which he or his steward presided, thus he was the lord of the manorial court which determined the rules and laws which were to govern all the inhabitants and property covered by the jurisdiction of the court. To the tenants of a certain class of manor known in Saxon times as Infangenthef[4] their lord was a man who had the power of exercising capital punishment over them. The term invariably used in contemporary mediaeval documents is simply «lord of X», X being the name of the manor. The term «Lord of the Manor» is a recent usage of historians to distinguish such lords from feudal barons and other powerful persons referred to in ancient documents variously as «Sire» (mediaeval French), «Dominus» (Latin), «Lord» etc. The title of «Lord of the Manor» is recognised by the British Government for any such title registered at His Majesty’s Land Registry before 13 October 2003 (the commencement date of the Land Registration Act 2002) but after that date titles can no longer be registered, and any such titles voluntarily de-registered by the holder cannot later be re-registered. However any transfer of ownership of registered manors will continue to be recorded in the register, on the appropriate notification. Thus in effect the register is closed for new registrations.[5] Such titles are legally classified as «incorporeal hereditaments» as they have no physical existence,[6] and usually have no intrinsic value. However a lucrative market arose in the 20th century for such titles, often for purposes of vanity, which was assisted by the existence of an official register, giving the purchaser the impression of a physical existence. Whether a title of «Lord of the Manor» is registered or unregistered has no effect on its legal validity or existence, which is a matter of law to be determined by the courts. Modern legal cases have been won by persons claiming rights as lords of the manor over village greens. The heads of many ancient English land-owning families have continued to be lords of the manor of lands they have inherited.

The UK Identity and Passport Service will include such titles on a British passport as an «observation» (e.g., ‘The Holder is the Lord of the Manor of X’), provided the holder can provide documentary evidence of ownership.[7] The United States [8] forbids the use of all titles on passports. Australia forbids the use of titles on passports if those titles have not been awarded by the Crown (in reference to the Australian Monarchy) or the Commonwealth (in reference to the Australian Government).[9]

Laird[edit]

The Scottish title Laird is a shortened form of ‘laverd’ which is an old Scottish word deriving from an Anglo-Saxon term meaning ‘Lord’ and is also derived from the middle English word ‘Lard’ also meaning ‘Lord’. The word is generally used to refer to any owner of a landed estate and has no meaning in heraldic terms and its use is not controlled by the Lord Lyon.

Modern usage[edit]

Peers and children of peers[edit]

Lord is used as a generic term to denote members of the peerage. Five ranks of peer exist in the United Kingdom: in descending order these are duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. The appellation «Lord» is used most often by barons, who are rarely addressed by their formal and legal title of «Baron». The most formal style is «The Lord (X)»: for example, Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, can be referred to as «The Lord Tennyson», although the most common appellation is «Lord Tennyson». Marquesses, earls and viscounts are commonly also addressed as Lord. Dukes use the style «The Duke of (X)», and are not correctly referred to as «Lord (X)». Dukes are formally addressed as «Your Grace», rather than «My Lord». In the Peerage of Scotland, the members of the lowest level of the peerage have the substantive title «Lord of Parliament» rather than Baron.

«Lord» is also used as a courtesy title for younger sons of a British prince, duke, or marquesses, in the style «Lord (first name) (surname)».[10] The eldest son of a peer would be entitled to use one of his father’s subsidiary titles (if any). For example, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent holds the subsidiary title of Earl of St Andrews, which is used by his elder son George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, while his younger son is styled Lord Nicholas Windsor. However, if the father has no subsidiary title, the older son will assume a courtesy title of «Lord (last name)», such as in the case of the Earl of Devon. As these forms of address are merely courtesy titles, the holder is not actually a member of the peerage and is not entitled to use the definite article «The» as part of the title.

House of Lords[edit]

The upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is the House of Lords, which is an abbreviation of the full title, «The Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament Assembled». The Lords Temporal are the people who are entitled to receive writs of summons to attend the House of Lords in right of a peerage. The Lords Spiritual are the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of London, Winchester and Durham, and the twenty-one longest-serving bishops of the Church of England from among the other bishops (plus some female bishops of shorter service in consequence of the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015), who are all entitled to receive writs of summons in right of their bishoprics or archbishoprics.

The Lords Temporal greatly outnumber the Lords Spiritual, there being nearly 800 of the former and only 26 of the latter. As of December 2016, 92 Lords Temporal sit in the House in right of hereditary peerages (that being the maximum number allowed under the House of Lords Act 1999) and 19 sit in right of judicial life peerages under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876. The rest are life peers under the Life Peerages Act 1958.

Judiciary[edit]

Until the creation of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2009), certain judges sat in the House of Lords by virtue of holding life peerages. Most of them (those who were members of the Appellate Committee) were known collectively as the Law Lords. All judges, including former Law Lords, lost the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords, despite retaining their life peerages, upon creation of the Supreme Court. The appellation «Lord», though not the style, is also used to refer to some judges in certain Commonwealth legal systems, who are not peers. Some such judges, for instance judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, are called «Lord Justice». Other Commonwealth judges, for example judges of Canadian provincial supreme courts, are known only as Justices but are addressed with deference in court as ‘My Lord’, ‘My Lady’, ‘Your Lordship’ or ‘Your Ladyship’.

Examples of judges who use the appellation «lord» include:

  • Justices of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom not holding peerages, who are addressed as if they were life peers by Royal Warrant.[11] Wives of male justices who are not peers are addressed as if they were wives of peers. These forms of address are applicable both in court and in social contexts.
  • Judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, known as ‘Lords Justices of Appeal’.
  • Judges of the Scottish Court of Session, known as ‘Lords of Council and Session’.
  • Justices of the Canadian provincial Supreme Courts, addressed in Court as «My Lord» or «My Lady» and referred to in legal literature as «Lordships» or «Ladyships».
  • Judges of the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts of India, who are addressed as «My Lord» and «Your Lordship» in court. The Bar Council of India calls upon lawyers to give up this practice of addressing judges as ‘lords’.

Ecclesiastical[edit]

In Great Britain and Ireland, and in most countries that are members or former members of the Commonwealth, bishops may be addressed as «My Lord» or «My Lord Bishop» or «Your Lordship», particularly on formal occasions. This usage is not restricted to those bishops who sit in the House of Lords. Indeed, by custom, it is not restricted to bishops of the Church of England but applies to bishops of the Church in Wales, the Scottish Episcopal Church, and the Roman Catholic Church, and may be applied (though less commonly) to bishops of other Christian denominations. It has become more common to use simply the one word «Bishop».

In the United States, bishops are addressed as «Excellency».

Chancellors, councillors and privy seal keepers[edit]

Various other high offices of state in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and Republic of Ireland are prefixed with the deferential appellation of «lord» such as Lord Chancellor, Lord Privy Seal, Lord President of the Council, and Lord Mayor. Holders of these offices are not ex officio peers, although the holders of some of the offices were in the past always peers.

Non-English equivalents[edit]

In most cultures in Europe an equivalent appellation denoting deference exists. The French term Mon Seigneur («My Lord»), shortened to the modern French Monsieur, derives directly from the Latin seniorem, meaning «elder, senior».[12] From this Latin source derived directly also the Italian Signore, the Spanish Señor, the Portuguese Senhor.

Non-Romance languages have their own equivalents. Of the Germanic family there is the Dutch Meneer/Mijnheer/De Heer (as in: aan de heer Joren Jansen), German Herr, and Danish Herre. All three of these stem from a Germanic title of respect (in this case, from the Proto-Germanic root *haira-, «hoary, venerable, grey», likely a loan translation of Latin seniorem).[13]
In other European languages there is Welsh Arglwydd, Hungarian Úr, Greek Kyrie, Polish Pan, Czech pán, Breton Aotrou, Albanian Zoti.

In several Indian languages there are: Hindi Swami, Prabhu, Thakur, Samprabhu(Overlord) also words like Saheb or Laat Saheb from Lord Saheb were once used but have changed in meaning now, Telugu Prabhuvu, Tamil Koman, Kannada Dore, Bengali Probhu, Gujarati Swami, Punjabi Su’āmī, Nepali Prabhu. Words like Swami and Prabhu are Sanskrit-origin words, common in many Indian languages.

Philippine languages have different words for «lord», some of which are cognates. Tagalog has Panginoón for «lord» in both the noble and the religious senses. Its root, ginoo, is also found in Visayan languages like Cebuano as the term for «lord». Ginoo is also the Tagalog root for Ginoóng, the modern equivalent of the English term «Mister» (akin to how Romance language terms like señor may be glossed as either «lord», «mister», or «sir»). Ilocano meanwhile employs Apo for «Lord» in religious contexts; it is a particle that generally accords respect to an addressee of higher status than the speaker.

In the Yoruba language of West Africa, the words Olu and Oluwa are used in much the same way as the English term. Olodumare, the Yoruba conception of God Almighty, is often referred to using either of these two words. In the Yoruba chieftaincy system, meanwhile, the Oluwo of Iwo’s royal title translates to «Lord of Iwo». In Lagos, the Oluwa of Lagos is one of that kingdom’s most powerful chiefs.

Religion[edit]

English speakers use the word «Lord» as a title of deference for various gods or deities. The earliest recorded use of «Lord» in the English language in a religious context occurred in the work of English scholars such as Bede (c.  673 – 735). However, Bede wrote in Latin (Michael Lapidge describes him as «without question the most accomplished Latinist produced in these islands in the Anglo-Saxon period»[14]). He used an Anglo-Saxon phrase[which?] that indicated a noble, prince, ruler or lord to refer to God; however, he applied this as a gloss to the Latin text that he was producing, and not as a clear translation of the term itself. «Lord», as a gloss to Old English dryhten, meant «royal», «ruler», «prince», or «noble», and did not indicate a deity. After the 11th-century Norman invasion of England and the influx of Norman-French-speaking clerics, this understanding began to be applied to religious texts as well, but that occurred during the later Middle Ages and not in Bede’s early-medieval period. The word «Lord» appears frequently in the King James Bible of the early 17th century. See also Jesus is Lord.

  • English-language Old Testament translations such as the King James Version usually render the Hebrew name YHWH (the Tetragrammaton) as «the LORD» with small caps. This usage follows the Jewish practice of substituting the spoken Hebrew word «Adonai» («My Lords») for appearances of YHWH.[15]
  • In Christianity, New Testament translations into English often refer to Jesus as «Lord» or «the Lord», translating Greek κύριος.
  • In Aramaic, the title Mar, which means «Lord», is used for saints, ecclesiastical figures, and Jesus.
  • Semitic religions gave other deities appellations corresponding to «Lord» including:
    • Baʿal («Lord»), as used by the Canaanites both as a generic term of address to various local deities and as the spoken name for the storm god Baʿal Haddu once the form «Hadad» became too sacred for any but his high priest to utter.
    • Similarly, Tammuz came to be addressed as «Adoni» («My Lord»).
  • In the non-Semitic Sumerian culture, En means «Lord», as in the names of Sumerian deities such as Enki and Enlil.
  • In Buddhism, Gautama Buddha is often called «Lord Buddha».
  • In Jainism, «Lord» refers to the Mahavira.
  • In Ancient Greece, the name Adonis was a form of the Semitic Adoni.
  • In Old Norse, the names Freyr and Freya may have the meaning «Lord» and «Lady».
  • The Wiccan God is often referred to as «The Lord» and the Wiccan Goddess as «The Lady», or in the combination «Lord and Lady» (in this form, the definite article «the» is usually omitted), usually in reference to a mythological pairing such as Cernunos and Cerridwen.
  • In Mormonism it is believed that Jesus was the YHVH (Jehovah) of the Old Testament in his pre-mortal existence, and since that name is translated as «the Lord» in the King James Bible, in Mormonism «the Lord» refers to Jesus. Elohim, a separate individual who is the father of Jesus, is generally referred to by Mormons as «God» or «Heavenly Father». (See Mormon cosmology for references.)
  • In Hindu theology, the Svayam Bhagavan may refer to the concept of the Absolute representation of the monotheistic God. Another name more commonly used in Hindu theology is Ishvara, meaning «The Lord», the personal god consisting of the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. In common parlance, ‘Lord’ is used before many deities, for example, Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha, Lord Rama etc.
  • Islam: The English term «Lord» is often used to translate the Arabic term rabb (Arabic: رب).

Titles[edit]

Historical usage

  • Europe:
    • Lord Bishop
    • Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom
    • Lord High Constable
    • Lord High Steward
    • Lord High Treasurer
    • Lord Protector
  • Asia:
    • Nguyễn lords
    • Trịnh lords

Present usage:

  • Lord Chamberlain
  • Lord Chancellor
  • Lord Commissioner of Justiciary
  • Lord High Admiral
  • Lord Justice Clerk
  • Lord Marshal
  • Lord of Council and Session
  • Lord of the Isles
  • Lord of the Treasury
  • Lord President of the Court of Session
  • Lord Rector
  • Lord Steward

See also[edit]

  • Forms of address in the United Kingdom
  • Heerlijkheid
  • Lord’s Prayer
  • Milord
  • False titles of nobility

References[edit]

  1. ^ Definition expands on: «lord» Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 28 Dec. 2011. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lord>.
  2. ^ «This word means in general one with power and authority, a master or ruler…The word is used for anyone whom it was desired to address deferentially» Cruden’s Complete Concordance to the Bible, revised edition, 1992, «Lord», p.390
  3. ^ Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition (Revised 2005), p.1036
  4. ^ «Glossary». The Manorial Society of Great Britain.
  5. ^ «Manors: manorial titles and rights (PG22) — Publications — GOV.UK». www.landregistry.gov.uk. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  6. ^ Manors: manorial titles and rights (PG22)
  7. ^ «Observations in passports — Publications — GOV.UK». www.homeoffice.gov.uk. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  8. ^ «Archived copy» (PDF). Retrieved 2017-06-24.
  9. ^ «Australian Passports Amendment Determination 2013 (No. 1)». Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Government. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  10. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). «Lord» . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 992.
  11. ^ «Press Notice: Courtesy titles for Justices of the Supreme Court» (PDF). www.supremecourt.uk. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  12. ^ Larousse Dictionnaire de la Langue Française, Paris, 1979, p.1713
  13. ^ «Online Etymology Dictionary». etymonline.com. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  14. ^
    Lapidge, Michael (24 November 2005). «Poeticism in Pre-Conquest Anglo-Latin Prose». In Reinhardt, Tobias; Lapidge, Michael; Adams, John Norman (eds.). Aspects of the Language of Latin Prose. Proceedings of the British Academy. Vol. 129. Oxford University Press/British Academy (published 2005). p. 323. ISBN 9780197263327. ISSN 0068-1202. Retrieved 15 April 2021. A useful starting point is Bede, who was without question the most accomplished Latinist produced in these islands in the Anglo-Saxon period.
  15. ^ «Preface to the New American Standard Bible». New American Standard Bible (Updated ed.). Anaheim, California: Foundation Publications (for the Lockman Foundation). 1995. Archived from the original on 2006-12-07. One of the titles for God is Lord, a translation of Adonai. There is yet another name which is particularly assigned to God as His special or proper name, that is, the four letters YHWH (Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 42:8). This name has not been pronounced by the Jews because of reverence for the great sacredness of the divine name. Therefore, it has been consistently translated LORD. The only exception to this translation of YHWH is when it occurs in immediate proximity to the word Lord, that is, Adonai. In that case it is regularly translated GOD in order to avoid confusion.

External links[edit]

English[edit]

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Etymology[edit]

From Middle English lord and lorde (attested from the 15th century), from earlier (14th century) lourde and other variants which dropped the intervocalic consonant of earlier lowerd, louerd, loverd, laford, and lhoaverd; from Old English hlāford < hlāfweard, a compound of hlāf (bread) + weard (guardian); see loaf and ward. The term was already being applied broadly prior to the literary development of Old English and was influenced by its common use to translate Latin dominus. Compare Scots laird (lord), preserving a separate vowel development (from northern/Scottish Middle English lard, laverd), the Old English compound hlāf-ǣta (servant, literally bread-eater), and modern English lady, from Old English hlǣfdīġe (bread-kneader).[1] The Middle English word laford was borrowed by Icelandic, where it survives as lávarður.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /lɔːd/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /lɔɹd/
  • Homophone: lored (in accents with the horse-hoarse merger)
  • Homophone: laud (in non-rhotic accents)
  • Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)d

Noun[edit]

lord (plural lords)

  1. (obsolete) The master of the servants of a household; (historical) the master of a feudal manor
    • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [] (First Folio), London: [] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], line 167:

    1. (archaic) The male head of a household, a father or husband.
      • 831, charter in Henry Sweet, The oldest English texts, 445
        Ymbe ðet lond et cert ðe hire eðelmod hire hlabard salde.
      • c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [] (First Folio), London: [] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii], line 131:

      • 1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter XVI, in Emma: [], volume III, London: [] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC, page 300:

        Yes, here I am, my good friend; and here I have been so long, that anywhere else I should think it necessary to apologise; but, the truth is, that I am waiting for my lord and master.

    2. (archaic) The owner of a house, piece of land, or other possession
      • ante 1300, Cursor Mundi, 601 f.
        Als oure lauerd has heuen in hand
        Sua suld man be lauerd of land.
      • 1480, Waterford Archives in the 10th Report of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts (1885), App. v. 316
        All suche lordes as have gutters betuxte thar houses.
      • ante 1637, Ben Jonson, Sad Shepherd, ii. i. 36
        A mightie Lord of Swine!
      • 1697, Virgil, “The Twelfth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. [], London: [] Jacob Tonson, [], →OCLC:

        Turnus []
        Wrench’d from his feeble hold the shining Sword;
        And plung’d it in the Bosom of its Lord.

      • 1874, J. H. Collins, Principles of Metal Mining (1875), Gloss. 139/2
        Lord, the owner of the land in which a mine is situated is called the ‘lord’.
  2. One possessing similar mastery over others; (historical) any feudal superior generally; any nobleman or aristocrat; any chief, prince, or sovereign ruler; in Scotland, a male member of the lowest rank of nobility (the equivalent rank in England is baron)
    • c. 893, Orosius’s History, i. i. §13
      Ohthere sæde his hlaforde, Ælfrede cyninge, þæt…
    • 1530, John Palsgrave, Lesclarcissement, 680/1
      It is a pytuouse case… whan subjectes rebell agaynst their naturall lorde.
    1. (historical) A feudal tenant holding his manor directly of the king
    2. A peer of the realm, particularly a temporal one
      • ante 1420, T. Hoccleve, De Regimine Principum, 442
        Men myghten lordis knowe
        By there arraye, from oþir folke.
      • 1453, Rolls of Parliament, V. 266/2
        If such persone bee of the estate of a Lord, as Duc, Marques, Erle, Viscount or Baron.
      • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: [] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene 1], line 18:

        Princes, and noble Lords:
        What anſwer ſhall I make to this baſe man?

      • 1614, J. Selden, Titles of Honor, 59
        Our English name Lord, whereby we and the Scots stile all such as are of the Greater Nobilitie i. Barons, as also Bishops.
      • 1900 July 21, Daily Express:

        The Englishman of to-day still dearly loves a lord.

    3. (obsolete, uncommon) A baron or lesser nobleman, as opposed to greater ones
      • 1526, W. Bonde, Pylgrimage of Perfection, i. sig. Bviiiv
        Farre excellyng the state of lordes, erles, dukes or kynges.
      • 1826, Benjamin Disraeli, Vivian Grey, II. iii. iii. 26
        The Marquess played off the two Lords and the Baronet against his former friend.
  3. One possessing similar mastery in figurative senses (esp. as lord of ~)
    • ante 1300, Cursor Mundi, 782
      O wityng bath god and ill Ȝee suld be lauerds at ȝour will.
    • 1398, John Trevisa translating Bartholomew de Glanville’s De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495), viii. xvi. 322
      The sonne is the lorde of planetes.
    • 1697, Virgil, “The Third Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. [], London: [] Jacob Tonson, [], →OCLC:

      Love is Lord of all.

    • 1992 November 18, Larry David, Seinfeld, 4.11: «The Contest»:
      But are you still master of your domain?
      I am king of the county. You?
      Lord of the manor.
    1. A magnate of a trade or profession.
      The Tobacco Lords were a group of Scottish merchants and slave traders who in the 18th century made enormous fortunes by trading in tobacco.
      • 1823, W. Cobbett, Rural Rides (1885), I. 399
        Oh, Oh! The cotton Lords are tearing!
  4. (astrology) The heavenly body considered to possess a dominant influence over an event, time, etc.
    • c. 1391, Geoffrey Chaucer, Treatise on the Astrolabe, ii. §4:
      The assendent, & eke the lord of the assendent, may be shapen for to be fortunat or infortunat, as thus, a fortunat assendent clepen they whan þat no wykkid planete, as Saturne or Mars, or elles the tail of the dragoun, is in þe hows of the assendent.
  5. (Britain, slang, obsolete) A hunchback.
    • 1699, B.E., A new dictionary of the terms ancient and modern of the canting crew:
      Lord, a very crooked, deformed… Person.
  6. (Britain, Australia, via Cockney rhyming slang, obsolete) Sixpence.
    • 1933 November 16, Times Literary Supplement, 782/1:
      Twenty years ago you might hear a sixpence described as a ‘Lord’ meaning ‘Lord of the Manor’; that is, a tanner.

Synonyms[edit]

  • (master, owner): drighten, possessor, proprietor, sovereign

Derived terms[edit]

  • chief lord
  • drunk as a lord
  • feudal lord
  • House of Lords
  • laird
  • landlord
  • lord in gross
  • lord it over
  • Lord Mayor
  • lord mesne
  • lord of the bedchamber
  • lord of the manor
  • lord paramount
  • lord paramount
  • lord superior
  • lord-fish
  • lord-in-waiting
  • lorddom
  • lordful
  • lordhood
  • lordish
  • lordless
  • lordlike
  • lordliness
  • lordly
  • lordness
  • lords of creation
  • Lords Spiritual
  • Lords Temporal
  • lordship
  • lordy
  • mesne lord
  • overlord
  • slumlord
  • warlord

Descendants[edit]

  • Belizean Creole: laad
  • Bengali: লাট (laṭ)
    • Hindi: लाट (lāṭ)
  • Faroese: lordur
  • Gullah: lawd
  • Hungarian: lord
  • Italian: lord
  • Jamaican Creole: laad
  • Pijin: lod
  • Portuguese: lorde
  • Russian: ло́рд (lórd)
  • Serbo-Croatian: lȍrd / ло̏рд
  • Spanish: lord
  • Torres Strait Creole: lod
  • Turkish: lord
  • Yiddish: לאָרד(lord)

Translations[edit]

master of a household

  • Albanian: zot (sq), zonjë (sq)
  • Afrikaans: heer (af)
  • Arabic: رَبّ‎ m (rabb)
  • Basque: jaun
  • Belarusian: гаспада́р (be) m (haspadár), валада́р m (valadár)
  • Bulgarian: стопанин (bg) m (stopanin), господар (bg) m (gospodar)
  • Catalan: castellà (ca)
  • Chinese:
    Mandarin: 領主领主 (zh) (lǐngzhǔ), 领主 (zh) (lǐngzhǔ)
  • Danish: herre (da) c, husbond c, husherre c
  • Dutch: heer (nl) m, landheer (nl) m
  • Finnish: isäntä (fi), herra (fi)
  • French: châtelain (fr)
  • Galician: casteleiro (gl) m, castelao m, dono m, señor m, coime m, patrón m
  • Greek: κύριος (el) m (kýrios), πυργοδεσπότης (el) m (pyrgodespótis)
    Ancient: δεσπότης m (despótēs), κύριος m (kúrios), ἄναξ m (ánax)
  • Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰 m (frauja)
  • Hindi: मालिक (hi) m (mālik), साहिब (hi) m (sāhib), साहब (hi) m (sāhab)
  • Hungarian: úr (hu)
  • Icelandic: herra (is) m, húsbóndi (is) m
  • Ido: kastelestro (io)
  • Indonesian: tuan (id)
  • Irish: tiarna (ga) m
  • Italian: castellano
  • Khmer: ម្ចាស់ (km) (mchah), ប្ដី (km) (bdey)
  • Latin: dominus (la) m
  • Macedonian: сто́пан m (stópan), го́сподар m (góspodar)
  • Manchu: ᡝᠵᡝᠨ (ejen)
  • Old English: hlāford m
  • Persian: کدخدا (fa) (kadxodâ), کدیور (fa) (kadivar)
  • Polish: gospodarz (pl) m
  • Portuguese: castelão (pt)
  • Russian: хозя́ин (ru) m (xozjáin)
  • Scottish Gaelic: tighearna (gd) m
  • Spanish: castellano (es)
  • Swedish: herre (sv) c
  • Tagalog: poon
  • Turkish: efendi (tr), reis (tr), baş (tr), erk (tr), bey (tr)
  • Ukrainian: госпо́дар (uk) m (hospódar), воло́дар (uk) m (volódar), хазя́їн m (xazjájin)
  • Vandalic: froia m
  • Vietnamese: chúa (vi)
  • Yakut: тойон (toyon)
  • Zazaki: lord, ser (diq), serek, ape m

property owner

  • Albanian: lekë (sq), zot (sq), zonjë (sq)
  • Aramaic:
    Classical Syriac: ܡܪܐ‎ m (mārā)
    Jewish Aramaic: מָרָא‎ m (mārā)
  • Armenian: տեր (hy) (ter)
  • Breton: aotroù m
  • Bulgarian: собственик (bg) m (sobstvenik)
  • Catalan: senyor (ca)
  • Danish: herre (da) c, godsejer c
  • Finnish: omistaja (fi), maanomistaja (fi), kartanonherra (fi), isäntä (fi)
  • Galician: señor m, dono m, amo (gl) m
  • German: Gebieter (de) m
  • Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰 m (frauja)
  • Greek: κύριος (el) m (kýrios), αφέντης (el) m (aféntis)
    Ancient: κύριος m (kúrios), δεσπότης m (despótēs), ἄναξ m (ánax)
  • Hindi: लार्ड (hi) m (lārḍ)
  • Icelandic: herra (is) m
  • Indonesian: tuan (id)
  • Italian: signore (it) m
  • Khmer: ម្ចាស់ (km) (mchah), លោកព្រឹទ្ធាចារ្យ (louk prɨttʰiechaa)
  • Latin: dominus (la) m
  • Macedonian: го́сподар m (góspodar)
  • Old English: hlāford m
  • Old French: seignor
  • Persian: ارباب (fa) (arbâb)
  • Polish: właściciel (pl) m
  • Portuguese: senhor (pt) m
  • Russian: господи́н (ru) m (gospodín), власти́тель (ru) m (vlastítelʹ), владе́лец (ru) m (vladélec)
  • Scots: laird
  • Scottish Gaelic: tighearna (gd) m, triath m
  • Spanish: señor (es) m
  • Turkish: efendi (tr), sahip (tr), iye (tr), ağa (tr)
  • Zazaki: wahêr (diq) c, wêr c

ruler, one having mastery over others

  • Albanian: lekë (sq), zot (sq), zonjë (sq)
  • Afrikaans: owerste
  • Arabic: رَبّ‎ m (rabb)
  • Azerbaijani: bəy (az)
  • Breton: aotrou (br)
  • Bulgarian: властелин (bg) m (vlastelin), господар (bg) (gospodar)
  • Catalan: senyor (ca) m
  • Chinese:
    Mandarin: 領主领主 (zh) (lǐngzhǔ), 君主 (zh) (jūnzhǔ), 統治者统治者 (zh) (tǒngzhìzhě)
  • Czech: pán (cs) m
  • Danish: herre (da) c, hersker (da) c
  • Dutch: overste (nl) m or f
  • Egyptian:

    nb

    (nb)

  • Finnish: johtaja (fi), hallitsija (fi), valtias (fi)
  • Galician: señor m
  • Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰 m (frauja)
  • Greek: άρχοντας (el) m (árchontas), αφέντης (el) m (aféntis), δεσπότης (el) m (despótis)
    Ancient: ἄναξ m (ánax), δεσπότης m (despótēs), κοίρανος m (koíranos), μεδέων m (medéōn), πρύτανις (prútanis), κύριος m (kúrios)
  • Hindi: लार्ड (hi) m (lārḍ), सरवर (hi) m (sarvar), प्रभु (hi) m (prabhu), खुदा (hi) m (khudā)
  • Hungarian: úr (hu)
  • Indonesian: prabu (id)
  • Italian: signore (it) m
  • Japanese:  (ja) (kyō)
  • Kazakh: әмірші (kk) (ämırşı)
  • Khmer: លោកនាយ (louk niey), ចៅហ្វាយ (km) (chav faa yɔɔ)
  • Macedonian: господар m (gospodar), властелин m (vlastelin), велможа m (velmoža)
  • Middle English: senyour, lord
  • Middle Persian: 𐭡𐭢𐭩(bagî)
  • Nahuatl: tecutli
  • Old French: seignor
  • Persian: سرور (fa) (sarvar), خدیو (fa) (xadiv)
  • Polish: pan (pl) m
  • Portuguese: senhor (pt) m
  • Quechua: qhapaq
  • Russian: властели́н (ru) m (vlastelín), повели́тель (ru) m (povelítelʹ), влады́ка (ru) m (vladýka)
  • Sanskrit: प्रभु (sa) m (prabhu)
  • Swedish: herre (sv) c
  • Ternate: جوو(joou)
  • Turkish: efendi (tr), bey (tr), hakan (tr), kağan (tr), ağa (tr)
  • Vandalic: froia m
  • Zazaki: beg m, ağa m

aristocrat

  • Albanian: lekë (sq), zot (sq), zonjë (sq)
  • Afrikaans: heer (af)
  • Aramaic:
    Classical Syriac: ܡܪܐ‎ m (mārā), ܪܘܪܒܐ‎ pl (rawrəḇē)
    Jewish Aramaic: מָרָא‎ m (mārā)
  • Belarusian: пан m (pan), лорд m (lord), вяльмо́жа m (vjalʹmóža)
  • Bulgarian: лорд m (lord)
  • Chinese:
    Mandarin: 貴族贵族 (zh) (guìzú)
  • Czech: pán (cs) m, aristokrat m
  • Danish: lensherre c, hersker (da) c, lord (da)
  • Dutch: landheer (nl) m
  • Finnish: aristokraatti (fi), ylhäisyys (fi), lordi (fi)
  • French: seigneur (fr) m, monsieur (fr) m
  • German: Herr (de) m
  • Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰 m (frauja)
  • Greek: δεσπότης (el) m (despótis), λόρδος (el) m (lórdos), άρχοντας (el) m (árchontas), ευγενής (el) m (evgenís)
    Ancient: ἄναξ m (ánax), πρύτανις (prútanis)
  • Hindi: लार्ड (hi) m (lārḍ), खुदावंद (hi) m (khudāvand)
  • Icelandic: lávarður (is) m
  • Indonesian: prabu (id)
  • Irish: tiarna (ga) m
  • Italian: signore (it) m
  • Latin: dominus (la) m
  • Macedonian: го́сподар m (góspodar), лорд m (lord), вла́стелин m (vlástelin), ве́лможа m (vélmoža)
  • Maori: rōre
  • Middle English: senyour, lord
  • Middle Korean: 어비〮ᄆᆞᆮ (èpímòt)
  • Nahuatl: tecutli
  • Occitan: senhor (oc) m, lòrd
  • Old French: seignor
  • Persian: خداوندگار (fa) (xodâvandgâr)
  • Polish: lord (pl) m
  • Portuguese: senhor (pt) m, lorde (pt) m
  • Russian: лорд (ru) m (lord), вельмо́жа (ru) m (velʹmóža)
  • Scottish Gaelic: tighearna (gd) m
  • Sorbian:
    Lower Sorbian: kněz m
  • Turkish: beyefendi (tr), toyun
  • Ukrainian: лорд m (lord), вельмо́жа m (velʹmóža)
  • Welsh: arglwydd (cy) m
  • Yiddish: לאָרד‎ m (lord), אָדון‎ m (odn), שׂררה‎ m (srore)
  • Zazaki: herogırse

titled nobleman

  • Albanian: lekë (sq)
  • Afrikaans: heer (af)
  • Belarusian: пан m (pan)
  • Bulgarian: лорд m (lord)
  • Dutch: heer (nl) m
  • Finnish: aatelinen (fi), aatelismies (fi)
  • Greek: λόρδος (el) m (lórdos), ευγενής (el) m (evgenís)
    Ancient: δεσπότης m (despótēs)
  • Hindi: लार्ड (hi) m (lārḍ)
  • Hungarian: lord (hu)
  • Indonesian: prabu (id)
  • Italian: nobile (it) m or f, nobiluomo (it) m, nobildonna (it) f
  • Kazakh: әмірші (kk) (ämırşı)
  • Khmer: លោកម្ចាស់ (looka’ mchah), ចៅ (km) (chav)
  • Macedonian: лорд m (lord), го́сподар m (góspodar), ве́лможа m (vélmoža)
  • Nahuatl: tecutli
  • Persian: لرد (fa) (lord)
  • Polish: lord (pl) m
  • Portuguese: senhor (pt) m, lorde (pt) m
  • Russian: лорд (ru) m (lord), вельмо́жа (ru) m (velʹmóža)
  • Turkish: beyefendi (tr), toyun

See also[edit]

  • lady

Verb[edit]

lord (third-person singular simple present lords, present participle lording, simple past and past participle lorded)

  1. (intransitive and transitive) Domineer or act like a lord.
    • 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “December. Aegloga Duodecima.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: [], London: [] Hugh Singleton, [], →OCLC; republished as The Shepheardes Calender [], London: [] Iohn Wolfe for Iohn Harrison the yonger, [], 1586, →OCLC:

      The grisly toadstool grown there might I see, / And loathed paddocks lording on the same.
  2. (transitive) To invest with the dignity, power, and privileges of a lord; to grant the title of lord.
    • c. 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2:

      He being thus lorded / Not only with what my revenue yielded, / But what my power might else exact, [] / he did believe / He was indeed the Duke

Synonyms[edit]

  • (made a lord): elevate, ennoble, invest

Derived terms[edit]

  • (act like a lord): lord it over

Translations[edit]

to lord over

  • Bulgarian: владея (bg) (vladeja), господствам (bg) (gospodstvam)
  • Catalan: senyorejar (ca)
  • Chinese:
    Mandarin: 作威作福 (zh) (zuòwēizuòfú)
  • Danish: spille (da) herre (da)
  • Dutch: heerser (nl) m
  • Finnish: ylvästellä (fi), esiintyä herrana, herrastella
  • German: herrschen (de)
  • Italian: dominare (it), governare (it)
  • Macedonian: госпо́дари (gospódari)
  • Russian: госпо́дствовать (ru) (gospódstvovatʹ), вла́ствовать (ru) (vlástvovatʹ)
  • Slovak: pánčiť sa, rozťahovať sa

References[edit]

  • “lord”, in The Century Dictionary [], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
  • lord at OneLook Dictionary Search
  1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. «lord, n.«. Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1903.

Faroese[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /lɔɻʈ/

Noun[edit]

lord

  1. indefinite accusative singular of lordur

Hungarian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English lord.[1]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): [ˈlord]
  • Hyphenation: lord
  • Rhymes: -ord

Noun[edit]

lord (plural lordok)

  1. an English peer of the realm or nobleman

Declension[edit]

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative lord lordok
accusative lordot lordokat
dative lordnak lordoknak
instrumental lorddal lordokkal
causal-final lordért lordokért
translative lorddá lordokká
terminative lordig lordokig
essive-formal lordként lordokként
essive-modal
inessive lordban lordokban
superessive lordon lordokon
adessive lordnál lordoknál
illative lordba lordokba
sublative lordra lordokra
allative lordhoz lordokhoz
elative lordból lordokból
delative lordról lordokról
ablative lordtól lordoktól
non-attributive
possessive — singular
lordé lordoké
non-attributive
possessive — plural
lordéi lordokéi
Possessive forms of lord
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. lordom lordjaim
2nd person sing. lordod lordjaid
3rd person sing. lordja lordjai
1st person plural lordunk lordjaink
2nd person plural lordotok lordjaitok
3rd person plural lordjuk lordjaik

References[edit]

  1. ^ Tótfalusi, István. Idegenszó-tár: Idegen szavak értelmező és etimológiai szótára (’A Storehouse of Foreign Words: an explanatory and etymological dictionary of foreign words’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2005. →ISBN

Further reading[edit]

  • lord in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English lord.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈlɔrd/[1]
  • Rhymes: -ɔrd
  • Hyphenation: lòrd

Noun[edit]

lord m (invariable)

  1. lord (British aristocrat)
  2. gentleman

References[edit]

  1. ^ lord in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Middle English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

  • lorde, lhord, lourd, lourde, laverd
  • lhoaverd, laford, laverd, loverd, louerd, lowerd (early)

Etymology[edit]

From Old English hlāford, hlāfweard, in turn from hlāf (bread, loaf) + weard (ward, guardian, keeper).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /lɔːrd/
  • (early) IPA(key): /ˈlɔːwərd/, /ˈlɔːvərd/

Noun[edit]

lord (plural lordes)

  1. lord (important man)
    • c. 1335-1361, William of Palerne (MS. King’s College 13), folio 71, recto, lines 4538-4539; republished as W. W. Skeat, editor, The Romance of William of Palerne[2], London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1867, →OCLC, page 145:

      [] to fare out as faſt · wiþ his fader to ſpeke / ⁊ with lordesse of þat lond · þat him had long miſſed

      [] to comfortably leave to speak with his father and lords from that realm who’d missed him for a long while.
  2. Lord (title of God)

Derived terms[edit]

  • landlorde
  • lordles
  • lordly
  • lordlyng
  • yere of our lord

Descendants[edit]

  • English: lord (see there for further descendants)
  • Scots: laird
    • English: laird
  • Yola: loard
  • Icelandic: lávarður (through laverd)

References[edit]

  • “lōrd, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Proper noun[edit]

lord

  1. (Christianity) Lord: Jesus Christ, God the Son
    • c. 1400, Lay Folks Mass, Bk. App. iii. 125:
      Þou art a sooþfaste leche, lord.

Interjection[edit]

lord

  1. (originally an invocation) Lord: an interjection variously expressing astonishment, surprise, resignation
    • c. 1384, John Wyclif, Selected Works, III.358:
      Lord! in tyme of Jesus Crist … were men not bounden to shryve hem þus.
    • c. 1400, Lanfranc of Milan, Practica (trans. as The Science of Chirgurie), 298:
      O lord, whi is it so greet difference betwix a cirurgian & a phisician.

See also[edit]

  • Lord

Polish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English lord, from Middle English lord and lorde, from lourde, from lowerd, louerd, loverd, laford, lhoaverd, from Old English hlāford, from hlāfweard.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /lɔrt/
  • Rhymes: -ɔrt
  • Syllabification: lord

Noun[edit]

lord m pers

  1. Lord (aristocratic title for a man)
  2. lord (aristocrat)
  3. lord (titled nobleman)

Declension[edit]

[edit]

  • lordowski
  • lord kanclerz
  • lord major
  • lord protektor
  • lordostwo
  • lordówna

Further reading[edit]

  • lord in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • lord in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English lord or French lord.

Noun[edit]

lord m (plural lorzi)

  1. lord

Declension[edit]

Declension of lord

singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) lord lordul (niște) lorzi lorzii
genitive/dative (unui) lord lordului (unor) lorzi lorzilor
vocative lordule lorzilor

Serbo-Croatian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English lord.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /lôrd/

Noun[edit]

lȍrd m (Cyrillic spelling ло̏рд)

  1. lord (British title)

Declension[edit]

References[edit]

  • “lord” in Hrvatski jezični portal

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English lord.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈloɾd/ [ˈloɾð̞]
    • Rhymes: -oɾd
    • Syllabification: lord
  • IPA(key): /ˈloɾ/ [ˈloɾ]
    • Rhymes: -oɾ

Noun[edit]

lord m (plural lores)

  1. lord (British title)

[edit]

  • milord

Further reading[edit]

  • “lord”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Turkish[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

  • lort

Etymology[edit]

From Ottoman Turkish لورد(lord), from English lord, from Middle English lord, lorde, from Old English hlāford, hlāfweard, a compound of hlāf (bread) + weard (guardian)

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): [ɫoɾd]
  • Hyphenation: lord

Noun[edit]

lord (definite accusative lordu, plural lordlar)

  1. lord
    Hypernym: asilzade
  2. (slang) filthy rich
  3. (rhetoric) big daddy

Declension[edit]

Inflection
Nominative lord
Definite accusative lordu
Singular Plural
Nominative lord lordlar
Definite accusative lordu lordları
Dative lorda lordlara
Locative lordda lordlarda
Ablative lorddan lordlardan
Genitive lordun lordların
Possessive forms
Nominative
Singular Plural
1st singular lordum lordlarım
2nd singular lordun lordların
3rd singular lordu lordları
1st plural lordumuz lordlarımız
2nd plural lordunuz lordlarınız
3rd plural lordları lordları
Definite accusative
Singular Plural
1st singular lordumu lordlarımı
2nd singular lordunu lordlarını
3rd singular lordunu lordlarını
1st plural lordumuzu lordlarımızı
2nd plural lordunuzu lordlarınızı
3rd plural lordlarını lordlarını
Dative
Singular Plural
1st singular lorduma lordlarıma
2nd singular lorduna lordlarına
3rd singular lorduna lordlarına
1st plural lordumuza lordlarımıza
2nd plural lordunuza lordlarınıza
3rd plural lordlarına lordlarına
Locative
Singular Plural
1st singular lordumda lordlarımda
2nd singular lordunda lordlarında
3rd singular lordunda lordlarında
1st plural lordumuzda lordlarımızda
2nd plural lordunuzda lordlarınızda
3rd plural lordlarında lordlarında
Ablative
Singular Plural
1st singular lordumdan lordlarımdan
2nd singular lordundan lordlarından
3rd singular lordundan lordlarından
1st plural lordumuzdan lordlarımızdan
2nd plural lordunuzdan lordlarınızdan
3rd plural lordlarından lordlarından
Genitive
Singular Plural
1st singular lordumun lordlarımın
2nd singular lordunun lordlarının
3rd singular lordunun lordlarının
1st plural lordumuzun lordlarımızın
2nd plural lordunuzun lordlarınızın
3rd plural lordlarının lordlarının

[edit]

  • Lordlar Kamarası

Noun



He became a lord upon the death of his father.



as lords of the local real estate scene, they own nearly all of the city’s prime pieces of property

Recent Examples on the Web



Enola heads to London in search of her missing mother but winds up helping a runaway lord and outsmarting her older brother.


Emy Lacroix, Peoplemag, 9 Feb. 2023





With a battle shield strapped to her arm, this queen stands majestically on the back of an enemy captive, a lord of Calakmul.


Shannon Palus, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2014





The standout here is Aquaman, portrayed as a prideful lord of Atlantis that just wants to be liked.


Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 29 July 2022





Last week, our dark lord and Bravo mascot-in-chief Andy Cohen was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and on his son’s third birthday, of all days.


Brian Moylan, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2022





Additionally, Maya gods often took the form of jaguars, such as the fearsome lord of the night sun, a god of the underworld.


Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 29 Dec. 2020





As lord of Monday nights at NPR-affiliate station KCRW-FM, DJ Galván has revitalized the city’s airwaves with his positively zany playlists, effortlessly weaving in the sounds of Björk with up-and-coming L.A. bands like the Red Pears.


Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2022





Ishida Castle, the family seat of the former (and final) daimyo lord of Fukue, now functions as the local high school, as well as the city’s public library.


Ashley Ogawa Clarke, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2022





Rhames’ lord of the underworld took a cue from Barry White), as well as a nod to Nightmare‘s Jack Skellington.


Carolina Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Oct. 2022




Russia’s offensive has been bolstered by a mercenary force known as the Wagner Group, lorded over by Russian oligarch and Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has been blacklisted by the U.S. government along with dozens of other Kremlin officials, Russian businessmen and companies.


Laura King And Tracy Wilkinson, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Feb. 2023





Russia’s offensive has been bolstered by a mercenary force known as the Wagner Group, lorded over by Russian oligarch and Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has been blacklisted by the U.S. government along with dozens of other Kremlin officials, Russian businessmen and companies.


Laura King And Tracy Wilkinson, Anchorage Daily News, 27 Feb. 2023





It’s been 17 long years since Gorillaz lorded over the U.K. Albums Chart.


Lars Brandle, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2023





Russia’s offensive has been bolstered by a mercenary force known as the Wagner Group, lorded over by Russian oligarch and Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has been blacklisted by the U.S. government along with dozens of other Kremlin officials, Russian businessmen and companies.


Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2023





But everyone who snagged All Quiet in the Vulture Movie Fantasy League for a smooth $3 can lord it above those who shilled out for those other movies.


Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 19 Jan. 2023





At least the American bank robbery can lord it over the average commercial raid (which nets an average of $1,589) and convenience store bust (only $769 on average).


Sophie Bushwick, Discover Magazine, 19 June 2012





Gapjil, a Korean word for those in power who lord over their subordinates, has long been a prevalent problem in the country – especially within elite families who dominate South Korea’s business and politics.


Jessie Yeung, CNN, 4 July 2022





Nearly a decade ago, Zuckerberg recognized that Apple and Google could lord over his company via their respective mobile operating systems and app stores.


Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 3 Feb. 2022



See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘lord.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting like a master, a chief, or a ruler.[1][2] The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are entitled to courtesy titles. The collective «Lords» can refer to a group or body of peers.

Etymology

The Old English word ‘hlaford’ evolved into ‘lord’

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, the etymology of the word can be traced back to the Old English word hlāford which originated from hlāfweard meaning «loaf-ward» or «bread-keeper», reflecting the Germanic tribal custom of a chieftain providing food for his followers.[3] The appellation «lord» is primarily applied to men, while for women the appellation «lady» is used. This is no longer universal: the Lord of Mann, a title held by the Queen of the United Kingdom, and female Lords Mayor are examples of women who are styled as «Lord».

Historical usage

Feudalism

Main articles: Feudalism and English Feudal Baronies

Under the feudal system, «lord» had a wide, loose and varied meaning. An overlord was a person from whom a landholding or a manor was held by a mesne lord or vassal under various forms of feudal land tenure. The modern term «landlord» is a vestigial survival of this function. A liege lord was a person to whom a vassal owed sworn allegiance. Neither of these terms were titular dignities, but rather factual appellations, which described the relationship between two or more persons within the highly stratified feudal social system. For example, a man might be Lord of the Manor to his own tenants but also a vassal of his own overlord, who in turn was a vassal of the King. Where a knight was a lord of the manor, he was referred to in contemporary documents as «John (Surname), knight, lord of (manor name)». A feudal baron was a true titular dignity, with the right to attend Parliament, but a feudal baron, Lord of the Manor of many manors, was a vassal of the King.

Lord of the manor

See also: Lord of the manor

The substantive title of «Lord of the Manor» came into use in the English medieval system of feudalism after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The title «Lord of the Manor» was a titular feudal dignity which derived its force from the existence and operation of a manorial court or court baron at which he or his steward presided, thus he was the lord of the manorial court which determined the rules and laws which were to govern all the inhabitants and property covered by the jurisdiction of the court. To the tenants of a certain class of manor known in Saxon times as Infangenthef[4] their lord was a man who had the power of exercising capital punishment over them. The term invariably used in contemporary mediaeval documents is simply «lord of X», X being the name of the manor. The term «Lord of the Manor» is a recent usage of historians to distinguish such lords from feudal barons and other powerful persons referred to in ancient documents variously as «Sire» (mediaeval French), «Dominus» (Latin), «Lord» etc. The title of «Lord of the Manor» is recognised by the British Government for any such title registered at Her Majesty’s Land Registry before 13 October 2003 (the commencement date of the Land Registration Act 2002) but after that date titles can no longer be registered, and any such titles voluntarily de-registered by the holder cannot later be re-registered. However any transfer of ownership of registered manors will continue to be recorded in the register, on the appropriate notification. Thus in effect the register is closed for new registrations.[5] Such titles are legally classified as «incorporeal hereditaments» as they have no physical existence,[6] and usually have no intrinsic value. However a lucrative market arose in the 20th century for such titles, often for purposes of vanity, which was assisted by the existence of an official register, giving the purchaser the impression of a physical existence. Whether a title of «Lord of the Manor» is registered or unregistered has no effect on its legal validity or existence, which is a matter of law to be determined by the courts. Modern legal cases have been won by persons claiming rights as lords of the manor over village greens. The heads of many ancient English land-owning families have continued to be lords of the manor of lands they have inherited.

The UK Identity and Passport Service will include such titles on a British passport as an «observation» (e.g., ‘The Holder is the Lord of the Manor of X’), provided the holder can provide documentary evidence of ownership.[7] The United States [8] forbids the use of all titles on passports. Australia forbids the use of titles on passports if those titles have not been awarded by the Crown (in reference to the Australian Monarchy) or the Commonwealth (in reference to the Australian Government).[9]

Laird

See also: Laird

The Scottish title Laird is a shortened form of ‘laverd’ which is an old Scottish word deriving from an Anglo-Saxon term meaning ‘Lord’ and is also derived from the middle English word ‘Lard’ also meaning ‘Lord’. The word is generally used to refer to any owner of a landed estate and has no meaning in heraldic terms and its use is not controlled by the Lord Lyon.

Modern usage

Peerage

Main article: Peerage of the United Kingdom

Lord is used as a generic term to denote members of the peerage. Five ranks of peer exist in the United Kingdom: in descending order these are duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. The appellation «Lord» is used most often by barons, who are rarely addressed by their formal and legal title of «Baron». The most formal style is «The Lord (X)»: for example, Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, can be referred to as «The Lord Tennyson», although the most common appellation is «Lord Tennyson». Marquesses, earls and viscounts are commonly also addressed as Lord. Dukes use the style «The Duke of (X)», and are not correctly referred to as «Lord (X)». Dukes are formally addressed as «Your Grace», rather than «My Lord». In the Peerage of Scotland, the members of the lowest level of the peerage have the substantive title «Lord of Parliament» rather than Baron.

«Lord» is also used as a courtesy title for some or all of the children of senior members of the peerage: for example the younger sons of dukes and marquesses are entitled to use the style «Lord (first name) (surname)».[10] As these titles are merely courtesy titles, the holder is not by virtue of the title a member of the peerage and is not entitled to use the definite article «The» as part of the title. Sons of British Princes would also use a similar style if the holder doesn’t have a peerage.

House of Lords

See also: House of Lords

The upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is the House of Lords, which is an abbreviation of the full title, «The Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament Assembled». The Lords Temporal are the people who are entitled to receive writs of summons to attend the House of Lords in right of a peerage. The Lords Spiritual are the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of London, Winchester and Durham, and the twenty-one longest-serving bishops of the Church of England from among the other bishops, who are all entitled to receive writs of summons in right of their bishoprics or archbishoprics.

The Lords Temporal greatly outnumber the Lords Spiritual, there being nearly 800 of the former and only 26 of the latter. As of December 2016, 92 Lords Temporal sit in the House in right of hereditary peerages and 19 sit in right of judicial life peerages under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876. The rest are life peers under the Life Peerages Act 1958.

Judiciary

See also: Judiciary of the United Kingdom

Charles Pepys, 1st Earl of Cottenham, a Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom

Until the creation of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (2009), certain judges sat in the House of Lords by virtue of holding life peerages. They were known collectively as the Law Lords. Those Law Lords who had held the office of Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom lost the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords, despite retaining their life peerages, upon creation of the Supreme Court. The appellation «Lord» is also used to refer to some judges in certain Commonwealth legal systems, who are not peers. Some such judges, for instance judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, are called «Lord Justice». Other Commonwealth judges, for example judges of Canadian provincial supreme courts, are known only as Justices but are addressed with deference in court as ‘My Lord’, ‘My Lady’, ‘Your Lordship’ or ‘Your Ladyship’.

Examples of judges who use the appellation «lord» include:

  • Justices of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom not holding peerages, who are addressed as if they were life peers by Royal Warrant.[11] Wives of male justices who are not peers are addressed as if they were wives of peers. These forms of address are applicable both in court and in social contexts.
  • Judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, known as ‘Lords Justices of Appeal’.
  • Judges of the Scottish Court of Session, known as ‘Lords of Council and Session’.
  • Justices of the Canadian provincial Supreme Courts, addressed in Court as «My Lord» or «My Lady» and referred to in legal literature as «Lordships» or «Ladyships».
  • Judges of the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts of India, who are addressed as «My Lord» and «Your Lordship» in court. The Bar Council of India calls upon lawyers to give up this practice of addressing judges as ‘lords’.

Ecclesiastical

In Great Britain and Ireland, and in most countries that are members or former members of the Commonwealth, bishops may be addressed as «My Lord» or «My Lord Bishop» or «Your Lordship», particularly on formal occasions. This usage is not restricted to those bishops who sit in the House of Lords. Indeed, by custom, it is not restricted to bishops of the Church of England but applies to bishops of the Church in Wales, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Roman Catholic Church, and may be applied (though less commonly) to bishops of other Christian jurisdictions. It has become more common to use simply the one word «Bishop».

In the United States, bishops are addressed as «Excellency».

Other

Various other high offices of state in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and Republic of Ireland are prefixed with the deferential appellation of «lord» such as Lord Chancellor, Lord Privy Seal, Lord President of the Council and Lord Mayor. Holders of these offices are not ex officio peers, although the holders of some of the offices were in the past always peers.

Non-English equivalents

In most cultures in Europe an equivalent appellation denoting deference exists. The French term Mon Seigneur («My Lord»), shortened to the modern French Monsieur derives directly from the Latin seniorem, meaning «elder, senior».[12] From this Latin source derived directly also the Italian Signore, the Spanish Señor, the Portuguese Senhor.

Non-Romance languages have their own equivalents. Of the Germanic family there is the Dutch Meneer/Mijnheer/De Heer (as in: aan de heer Joren Jansen), German Herr, and Danish Herre. All three of these stem from a Germanic title of respect (in this case, from the Proto-Germanic root *haira-, «hoary, venerable, grey», likely a loan translation of Latin seniorem).[13]
In other European languages there is Welsh Arglwydd, Hungarian Úr, Greek Kyrie, Polish Pan, Czech pán, Breton Aotrou, Albanian Zoti.

In several Indian languages there are: Hindi Swami, Prabhu, Thakur, Samprabhu(Overlord) also words like Saheb or Laat Saheb from Lord Saheb were once used but have changed in meaning now, Telugu Prabhuvu, Tamil Koman, Kannada Dore, Bengali Probhu, Gujarati Swami, Punjabi Su’āmī, Nepali Prabhu. Words like Swami and Prabhu are Sanskrit-origin words, common in many Indian languages.

Philippine languages have different words for «lord», some of which are cognates. Tagalog has Panginoón for «lord» in both the noble and the religious senses. Its root, ginoo, is also found in Visayan languages like Cebuano as the term for «lord». Ginoo is also the Tagalog root for Ginoóng, the modern equivalent of the English term «Mister» (akin to how Romance language terms like señor may be glossed as either «lord», «mister», or «sir»). Ilocano meanwhile employs Apo for «Lord» in religious contexts; it is a particle that generally accords respect to an addressee of higher status than the speaker.

In the Yoruba language of West Africa, the words Olu and Oluwa are used in much the same way as the English term. Olodumare, the Yoruba conception of God Almighty, is often referred to using either of these two words. In the Yoruba chieftaincy system, meanwhile, the Oluwo of Iwo‘s royal title translates to «Lord of Iwo». In Lagos, the Oluwa of Lagos is one of that kingdom’s most powerful chiefs.

Religion

«Lord» is used as a title of deference for various gods or deities. The earliest recorded use of «Lord» in the English language in a religious context was by English Bible translators such as Bede. However, Bede wrote in Latin, and was described by Michael Lapidge as «without question the most accomplished Latinist produced in these islands in the Anglo-Saxon period». He used an Anglo-Saxon phrase that indicated a noble, prince, ruler or lord to refer to God; however, he applied this as a gloss to the Latin text that he was producing, and not as a clear translation of the term itself. «Lord», as a gloss to Old English Old English: dryhten, meant royal, ruler, prince, noble, and did not indicate a deity. After the Norman invasion and the influx of French Catholics, this understanding began to be applied to religious texts as well, but that was during the later Middle Ages and not the early medieval period of Bede’s time. It was widely used in the King James Bible translated in the 17th century. See also Jesus is Lord.

  • In English language Old Testament translations such as the King James Version, the Hebrew name YHWH (the Tetragrammaton) is usually rendered «the Template:LORD«. This usage follows the Jewish practice of substituting the spoken Hebrew word «Adonai» («My Lords») for appearances of YHWH.[14]
  • Christianity: Jesus is called «Lord» in the New Testament.
  • Semitic religions: Other deities given corresponding appellations to «Lord» include:
    • Baʿal («Lord») was used by the Canaanites both as a generic term of address to various local deities and as the spoken name for the storm god Baʿal Haddu once the form «Hadad» became too sacred for any but his high priest to utter.
    • Similarly, Tammuz came to be addressed as «Adoni» («My Lord»).
    • En meaning «Lord» as in Sumerian deities Enki and Enlil.
  • Buddhism: Gautama Buddha is often called Lord Buddha.
  • Jainism: «Lord» refers to the Mahavira.
  • Nahuatl: the word «Ahau» is translated as «Lord» in reference to Aztec deities.
  • Greece: Adonis was a form of the Semitic Adoni.
  • Old Norse: The names Freyr and Freya have the meaning Lord and Lady.
  • Wicca: the Wiccan God is often referred to as «The Lord» and the Wiccan Goddess as «The Lady», or in the combination «Lord and Lady» (in this form, the definite article «the» is usually omitted), usually in reference to a mythological pairing such as Cernunos and Cerridwen.
  • Mormonism: it is believed that Jesus was the YHVH (Jehovah) of the Old Testament in his pre-mortal existence, and since that name is translated as «the Lord» in the King James Bible, in Mormonism «the Lord» refers to Jesus. Elohim, a separate individual who is the father of Jesus, is generally referred to by Mormons as «God» or «Heavenly Father». (See Mormon cosmology for references.)

Hinduism

In Hindu theology, the Svayam Bhagavan may refer to the concept of the Absolute representation of the monotheistic God. Another name more commonly used in Hindu theology is Ishvara, meaning «The Lord», the personal god consisting of the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

Islam

Main article: Rabb
  • Islam: The English term «Lord» is often used to translate the Arabic term rabb (Template:Lang-ar).

See also

  • Heerlijkheid
  • Forms of address in the United Kingdom
  • Lord Bishop
  • Lord Chamberlain
  • Lord Commissioner of Justiciary
  • Lord of Council and Session
  • Lord High Admiral
  • Lord High Constable
  • Lord High Treasurer
  • Lord of the Treasury
  • Lord Justice Clerk
  • Lord President of the Court of Session
  • Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty (the Sea Lords)
  • Lord Rector
  • Milord
  • My Sweet Lord
  • Nguyễn Lords
  • Trịnh Lords
  • Cambodian lord (Oknha)
  • Lord of the Isles

References

  1. Definition expands on: «lord» Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 28 Dec. 2011. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lord>.
  2. «This word means in general one with power and authority, a master or ruler…The word is used for anyone whom it was desired to address deferentially» Cruden’s Complete Concordance to the Bible, revised edition, 1992, «Lord», p.390
  3. Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition (Revised 2005), p.1036
  4. Glossary of Manorial Terms, Manorial Society of Great Britain[1]
  5. Manors: manorial titles and rights (PG22) — Publications — GOV.UK.
  6. Manors: manorial titles and rights (PG22)
  7. Observations in passports — Publications — GOV.UK.
  8. Archived copy.
  9. Australian Passports Amendment Determination 2013 (No. 1). Australian Government.

  10. Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). «Lord«. Encyclopædia Britannica. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 992.
  11. Press Notice: Courtesy titles for Justices of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (13 December 2010).
  12. Larousse Dictionnaire de la Langue Francaise, Paris, 1979, p.1713
  13. Online Etymology Dictionary.
  14. NASB (1995). Preface to the New American Standard Bible. New American Standard Bible (Updated Edition). Foundation Publications (for the Lockman Foundation). “One of the titles for God is Lord, a translation of Adonai. There is yet another name which is particularly assigned to God as His special or proper name, that is, the four letters YHWH (Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 42:8). This name has not been pronounced by the Jews because of reverence for the great sacredness of the divine name. Therefore, it has been consistently translated LORD. The only exception to this translation of YHWH is when it occurs in immediate proximity to the word Lord, that is, Adonai. In that case it is regularly translated GOD in order to avoid confusion.”

External links

  • The dictionary definition of lord at Wiktionary

* The word _amakhû_ is applied to an individual who has freely entered the service of king or baron, and taken him for his lord: _amakhû khir nibuf_ means _vassal of his lord_. ❋ M. L. McClure (1881)

DUKE _ (My lord_), a duke’s servant, who assumes the airs and title of his master, and is addressed as «Your grace,» or «My lord duke.» ❋ Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (1853)

I. i.241 (284,9) That I had no angry wit to be a lord] [W: so hungry a wit] The meaning may be, I should hate myself for _patiently enduring to be a lord_. ❋ Samuel Johnson (1746)

The deliberate use of the term lord by Lord Ghrant would have been so obvious to any lord, lower or upper, and Kharl hadn’t even noticed what it had meant. ❋ Modesitt, L. E. (2005)

I want you and the Church to always pray for me because the lord is my shephard. ❋ Unknown (2006)

It worked because the very essence of it was that it changed from the leader to the lord, from the duke to the lord, and the lord is the loaf-ward who must feed his people. ❋ Unknown (1937)

And the characters, though dependent to a certain extent on stereotypes — my dark lord is referred to as Dark Lord Mogrash! — are a lot more well-rounded, with their actual characteristics playing against type. ❋ Unknown (2009)

His passion for his lord is intense, but it can easily be rivaled, if not surpassed, by his appreciation for the world of tea. ❋ Unknown (2009)

I have been engrossed in lord of the rings online this week, ecstatic about the new Warden class. ❋ Nathreee (2009)

In this issue, a new lord is crowned and Thulsa is sent on a quest. ❋ Unknown (2009)

I know alot of you are not ready to see a black man in office, but when the lord is for you the racist wicked world can be against you and you will still prosper. ❋ Unknown (2008)

La regina, mio signore, è morta (The Queen, my lord is dead). ❋ Unknown (2007)

There were only a dozen like him and only one of the others would this one call lord. ❋ Richard A. Knaak (2009)

Good lord, is there any show that blonde from «Invasion» isn’t on these days? ❋ Unknown (2007)

Commander of the Faithful, indeed I have heard that their lord is wrapped up in them and cannot bear to be parted from them. ❋ Unknown (2006)

In other European languages, the equivalent to «lord» is used as the form of address for men; [Dominus], [Signore], [Señor], Monsieur, Herr, etc. ❋ Lorelili (2007)

wow…[that kid] is really lord tonight…[wish] i could [be like that]! ❋ C (2004)

[Lord Calvert] controls this [feif] for his majesty the king.
The name of the noble hero in this novel is Lord [Ilpalazzo]. ❋ David Perek (2004)

[Look at that] lord, [mincing] [down the road] ❋ Fixxxer (2004)

[wait], he uses [a cigarette] [holder]?! what a lord! ❋ Ashley St. Claire (2003)

The lord givith and the lord [taketh]; we [loveth] the lord.
at a party: Dude, I’m feeling down tonight. Why don’t we [speed dial] the lord? ❋ Annie (2004)

«[Look at this] [lord over] here.» ❋ The G Master (2006)

i r [r0x0rz] [j00r] knix0rzb0x0rz, [f00]. ❋ God Almighty. (2003)

❋ Anon (2003)

I am [lorde] [ya ya] [ya] ❋ ThAtS IGnOrAnT (2020)

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