earl

¹

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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.

Earl

²

Or Earle

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noun

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

earl

/ ɜːl /

noun

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of earl¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of earl¹

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

Example Sentences

The earl is shocked to discover that the family would have neighbors and that he’d have to “go along” the hallway to bed rather than ascend the stairs as he would in a grand home.

From Los Angeles Times

He inherited it following his father's death in 2015, and began to think more deeply about what it meant to be an earl.

From BBC

Its inhabitants are those of “there will always be an England” England: stern vicars, timid curates, lords and earls, penniless titled wastrels living on allowances from their uncles, imperious aunts, upper-crust twits.

From Los Angeles Times

The tomb became an enclosed vault after an 18th Century earl raised the roof.

From BBC

Maidwell Hall in Northamptonshire said it was "sobering" to read about the earl's experiences.

From BBC

Related Words

• aristocrat 
• blue blood 
• emperor 
• patrician