peerage

[ peer-ij ]

/ ˈpɪər ɪdʒ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR peerage ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the body of peers of a country or state.

the rank or dignity of a peer.

a book listing the peers and giving their genealogies.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of peerage

First recorded in 1425–75, peerage is from the late Middle English word perage. See peer¹, -age

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for peerage

It was intended, instead, to be based on “peerage,” where all players are equal.
How Four Upstarts Built and Crashed the Anti-Facebook|Jake Whitney|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Think aesthetics as politics, and academic credentials as peerage.
‘Downton Abbey’ Democrats May Cost their Party the Senate|Lloyd Green|March 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Duchess is the highest rank in the English peerage (in descending order the ranks go duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron).
Kate Middleton: Why Be a Duchess When You Can Be a Princess?|Tom Sykes|August 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But Blair has said publicly that he does not want a peerage.
Tony Blair May Be Planning a Political Comeback but in What Role It’s Hard to Imagine|Peter Popham|May 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Sir Robert was forced to give up the contest and be shelved with a peerage.
The Wits and Beaux of Society|Grace & Philip Wharton
The peerage, "God bless our old nobility," acts like an anodyne on her.
The Dodd Family Abroad, Vol. II.(of II)|Charles James Lever
Then, declining to take the oath of allegiance to Louis Philippe, he retired from the peerage, and gave up his pension.
The Catholic World. Volume II; Numbers 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.|E. Rameur
No rising man, with ability to acquire a national reputation, will quit it for a peerage and a seat in the House of Lords.
Thirty Years' View (Vol. I of 2)|Thomas Hart Benton
She has bought a Peerage, and knows the pedigree of the whole Kew family.
The Newcomes|William Makepeace Thackeray

British Dictionary definitions for peerage

peerage

/ (ˈpɪərɪdʒ) /

noun

the whole body of peers; aristocracy

the position, rank, or title of a peer

(esp in the British Isles) a book listing the peers and giving genealogical and other information about them

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 peerage

peerage

mid-15c., "peers collectively," from peer (n.) + -age. Probably on model of Old French parage.