earldom

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/ ˈɜrl dəm /

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noun

Also called earlship. the rank or title of an earl.

the territory or jurisdiction of an earl.

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Origin of earldom

before 1150; Middle English erldom,Old English eorldōm.See earl, -dom,

Words nearby earldom

Earhart, Earhart, Amelia, earing, earl, earlap, earldom, earless lizard, earless seal, Earl Grey, Earlier Han, Earl Marshal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use earldom in a sentence

He succeeded his brother (see above) in the earldom in 1823, and spent the latter part of his life in Paris.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
Svein Hakonson, he that was the finest man that men have ever looked on, received earldom from Olaf the Swede.
The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade)|Snorri Sturluson
Upon the death of Godwin, Harold resigned his earldom, and took that of Godwin, the bounds being slightly varied.
Landholding In England|Joseph Fisher
I have a Scotch earldom myself in my family granted by another king the day after he had lost his own crown.'
Tony Butler|Charles James Lever

As for the Lamptons, there is an earldom in the English family, and there were claimants even then in the American branch.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete|Albert Bigelow Paine

British Dictionary definitions for earldom

earldom

/ (ˈɜːldəm) /

noun

the rank, title, or dignity of an earl or countess

the lands of an earl or countess

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