Liege Definition

lēj
noun
A lord or sovereign.
Webster's New World
A vassal or subject owing allegiance and services to a lord or sovereign under feudal law.
American Heritage
A subject or vassal.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
adjective
Entitled to the service and allegiance of his vassals.
A liege lord.
Webster's New World
Bound to give service and allegiance to the lord.
Liege subjects.
Webster's New World
Loyal; faithful.
Webster's New World
Serving an independent sovereign or master; bound by a feudal tenure; obliged to be faithful and loyal to a superior, as a vassal to his lord; faithful; loyal.
A liege man; a liege subject.
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Liege

Noun

Singular:
liege
Plural:
lieges

Origin of Liege

  • Middle English lege, lige, liege, from Anglo-Norman lige, from Old French liege (“liege, free"), from Middle High German ledic, ledec (“free, empty, vacant") (Modern German ledig (“unmarried")) from Proto-Germanic *liþugaz (“flexible, free, unoccupied"). Akin to Old Frisian leþeg, leþoch (“free"), Old English liþiÄ¡ (“flexible"), Old Norse liðugr (“free, unhindered"), Middle Dutch ledich (“idle, unemployed") (Dutch ledig (“empty") and leeg (“empty")), Middle English lethi (“unoccupied, at leisure").

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old French entitled to feudal allegiance from Late Latin laeticus being a semifree colonist in Gaul from laetus a semifree colonist of Germanic origin lē- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • An alternate etymology traces the Old French word from Late Latin laeticus "of or relating to a semifree colonist in Gaul" from laetus "a semi-free colonist", of Germanic origin, akin to Old English læt (“servant").

    From Wiktionary

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