earl

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noun
  1. 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.

  2. (in Anglo-Saxon England) a governor of one of the great divisions of England, including East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria, and Wessex.

Origin of earl

1
before 900; Middle English erl,Old English eorl; cognate with Old Saxon erl man, Old Norse jarl chieftain

Other definitions for Earl (2 of 2)

Earl

or Earle

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noun
  1. a male given name: from the old English word meaning “noble.”

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How to use earl in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for earl

earl

/ (ɜːl) /


noun
  1. (in the British Isles) a nobleman ranking below a marquess and above a viscount: Female equivalent: countess

  2. (in Anglo-Saxon England) a royal governor of any of the large divisions of the kingdom, such as Wessex

Origin of earl

1
Old English eorl; related to Old Norse jarl chieftain, Old Saxon erl man

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012