fealty

American  

[fee-uhl-tee] / ˈfi əl ti /

noun

PLURAL

fealties

1. History/Historical.

   1. fidelity to a lord.

   2. the obligation or the engagement to be faithful to a lord, usually sworn to by a vassal.

2. fidelity; faithfulness.

   Synonyms:

   devotion , loyalty

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fealty British  

/ ˈfiːəltɪ /

noun

1. (in feudal society) the loyalty sworn to one's lord on becoming his vassal See homage

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Other Word Forms

• nonfealty noun
• unfealty noun

Etymology

Origin of fealty

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English feute, feaute, fealtye, from Anglo-French, Old French feauté, fealté, from Latin fidēlitāt- (stem of fidēlitās ) fidelity; internal -au-, -al- from feal, reshaping (by substitution of -al- -al ¹ ) of fe(d)eil, from Latin fidēlis

Example Sentences

All of them were there to demonstrate their fealty to the man who would be king.

From Salon

There was 73-year-old Bill Nighy, on his knees as if paying fealty to Steven Spielberg, who sat on a bench next to Tony Kushner and tore into some meat and cheese.

From Washington Post

Though he refused to acknowledge the Russians’ authority or swear fealty to them, he remained at his desk, working to keep the lights on and the buses running.

From New York Times

In 2021, a procession of speakers declared their fealty to the former president as some attendees posed for selfies with a golden statue of his likeness.

From Seattle Times

Professor Bogdanor said that unionists tended to view their allegiance to the king in more contractual terms than people in England, for whom fealty was generally automatic.

From New York Times

Related Words

• faithfulness
• loyalty