Earl
or Earle
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- a male given name: from the old English word meaning “noble.”
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for earle
Contemporary Examples
Earle also gave a short musical performance, which included this rendition of his own “Christmas in Washington.”
Unlike Brada Mendez, Earle, who had a violent past, was not attending A.A. voluntarily.
“Growing up where I did, you had the Carter Family and the Staple Singers,” Earle says.
Historical Examples
Miss Earle looked for a moment indignantly at her questioner.
In a Steamer Chair and Other StoriesRobert Barr
Miss Earle went on with her reading, and Morris pretended to go on with his.
In a Steamer Chair and Other StoriesRobert Barr
He walked the deck after breakfast, but saw nothing of Miss Earle.
In a Steamer Chair and Other StoriesRobert Barr
That is the reason your steamer chair was broken, Miss Earle.
In a Steamer Chair and Other StoriesRobert Barr
It's an infernal shame to see Earle in the list and me—nowhere.
earl
- (in the British Isles) a nobleman ranking below a marquess and above a viscountFemale equivalent: countess
- (in Anglo-Saxon England) a royal governor of any of the large divisions of the kingdom, such as Wessex
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Word Origin
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
Word Origin and History for earle
earl
n.
Old English eorl "brave man, warrior, leader, chief" (contrasted with ceorl "churl"), from Proto-Germanic *erlo-z, of uncertain origin.
In Anglo-Saxon poetry, "a warrior, a brave man;" in later Old English, "nobleman," especially a Danish under-king (equivalent of cognate Old Norse jarl), then one of the viceroys under the Danish dynasty in England. After 1066 adopted as the equivalent of Latin comes (see count (n.)).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper