liege Hear it!

liege Definition

liege (lēj)

adjective

  1. Feudal Law
    1. entitled to the service and allegiance of his vassals a liege lord
    2. bound to give service and allegiance to the lord liege subjects
  2. loyal; faithful

Etymology: OFr, prob. < Frank base akin to OHG ledig, free, but infl. by L ligare, to bind

noun

  1. a lord or sovereign
  2. a subject or vassal

liege Synonyms

liege

n.

master, lord, sovereign; see owner.

liege Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • lord: In the case of the king of England, for his lands in France, the king of France was his liege lord.
  • homage: Liege homage, however, was different: it overrode all other obligations to all other lords.
  • subject: We could scarcely believe that the Home Secretary could ignore a petition signed by 20,000 of his Majesty's liege subjects.