vassal
(in the feudal system) a person granted the use of land, in return for rendering homage, fealty, and usually military service or its equivalent to a lord or other superior; feudal tenant.
a person holding some similar relation to a superior; a subject, subordinate, follower, or retainer.
a servant or slave.
of, relating to, or characteristic of a vassal.
having the status or position of a vassal.
Origin of vassal
1Other words from vassal
- vas·sal·less, adjective
- non·vas·sal, noun
- sub·vas·sal, noun
- un·der·vas·sal, noun
Words that may be confused with vassal
- vassal , vessel
Words Nearby vassal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use vassal in a sentence
These highly-prized animals were also taken as tributes from vassals based in the Levant and from defeated foreign powers.
The Ancient Egyptian Soldiers of the New Kingdom | Dattatreya Mandal | July 6, 2022 | Realm of HistoryPaola Dionisotti as Lady Anya Waynwood Lady Anya Waynwood is the head of House Waynwood, a powerful vassal to House Arryn.
Meet Game of Thrones’ Sexy New Season 4 Cast: The Red Viper, Porn Stars, and More | Marlow Stern | April 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhich, according to party orthodoxy, would have been an economically backward, single-ideology vassal state of the Soviet Union.
I have dared to relate this to your Majesty because of my zeal as a loyal vassal, and as one who looks at things dispassionately.
As vassal of the Crown and prince of the blood, Conde was bound to obey the summons of his sovereign.
Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
After all he was a Moslem, and a Turkish vassal, and a consistent contemner of Russians, so wherefore should he stand aside?
The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. WigramEach of these vassal states was made to pay handsomely for its new acquisitions.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte | William Milligan SloaneI loved you from the first—not like a vassal either—and will always love you.
The Ghost Breaker | Charles Goddard
British Dictionary definitions for vassal
/ (ˈvæsəl) /
(in feudal society) a man who entered into a personal relationship with a lord to whom he paid homage and fealty in return for protection and often a fief. A great vassal was in vassalage to a king and a rear vassal to a great vassal
a person, nation, etc, in a subordinate, suppliant, or dependent position relative to another
(as modifier): vassal status
of or relating to a vassal
Origin of vassal
1Derived forms of vassal
- vassal-less, adjective
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
Cultural definitions for vassal
Under feudalism, a subordinate who placed himself in service to a lord in return for the lord's protection.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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