Earl

or Earle

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noun

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for earle

Contemporary Examples of earle

Earle also gave a short musical performance, which included this rendition of his own “Christmas in Washington.”
Watch Steve Earle Rant About GOP Victory
The Daily Beast Video
November 6, 2014
Unlike Brada Mendez, Earle, who had a violent past, was not attending A.A. voluntarily.
Elizabeth Peña and the Truth About Alcoholic Women
Gabrielle Glaser
October 24, 2014
“Growing up where I did, you had the Carter Family and the Staple Singers,” Earle says.
Justin Townes Earle Talks About His New Album
Lauren Streib
March 28, 2012

Historical Examples of earle

Miss Earle looked for a moment indignantly at her questioner.
In a Steamer Chair and Other Stories
Robert Barr
Miss Earle went on with her reading, and Morris pretended to go on with his.
In a Steamer Chair and Other Stories
Robert Barr
He walked the deck after breakfast, but saw nothing of Miss Earle.
In a Steamer Chair and Other Stories
Robert Barr
That is the reason your steamer chair was broken, Miss Earle.
In a Steamer Chair and Other Stories
Robert Barr
It's an infernal shame to see Earle in the list and me—nowhere.
Charles Lever, His Life in His Letters, Vol. II (of II)
Edmund Downey

British Dictionary definitions for earle

earl

noun

(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

Word Origin for earl

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

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.)).