vassal

American  

[vas-uhl] / ˈvæs əl /

noun

1. (in the feudal system) a person granted the use of land, in return for rendering homage, fealty, and usually military service or its equivalent to a lord or other superior; feudal tenant.

2. a person holding some similar relation to a superior; a subject, subordinate, follower, or retainer.

3. a servant or slave.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a vassal.

2. having the status or position of a vassal.

vassal British  

/ ˈvæsəl /

noun

1. (in feudal society) a man who entered into a personal relationship with a lord to whom he paid homage and fealty in return for protection and often a fief. A great vassal was in vassalage to a king and a rear vassal to a great vassal

2. 1. a person, nation, etc, in a subordinate, suppliant, or dependent position relative to another

   2. ( as modifier )

      vassal status

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adjective

1. of or relating to a vassal

vassal Cultural  

1. Under feudalism, a subordinate who placed himself in service to a lord in return for the lord's protection.

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Other Word Forms

• nonvassal
  noun
• subvassal
  noun
• undervassal
  noun
• vassal-less
  adjective
• vassalless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of vassal

1300–50; Middle English < Middle French < Medieval Latin vassallus, equivalent to vass ( us ) servant (< Celtic; compare Welsh gwas young man, Irish foss servant) + -allus noun suffix

Explanation

If this were Medieval Europe, you would probably be a vassal — like most everyone else. Vassals were people who worked the vast plots of land that were held by lords, who though much fewer in number, held all the wealth and power. In days of yore, vassals pledged devotion to feudal lords, who were the landowners, in exchange for protection and use of the land—-called a fief. Use vassal when referring to a servant, or anyone wholly dependent on another, or to describe a place that is controlled by one that is more powerful. For example, during World War II, Poland was a vassal of Germany.

Example Sentences

But two other candidates have also qualified for round two, with lower scores: the Republicans' Martine Vassal and the LFI's Sébastien Delogu.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Balconies are almost as common, and unlike A/C, they’re not seen as a luxury: the Pritzker-wining architects Lacaton and Vassal added them onto older social housing blocks in Bordeaux.

From Slate • Aug. 10, 2022

The museum considered four other architecture firms: Ensamble Studio, Lacaton & Vassal, SO — IL and David Chipperfield Architects, whose earlier design had ballooned in price to as much as $800 million.

From New York Times • Mar. 13, 2022

Seven years earlier, in 2004, Lacaton, Vassal and Druot had published a manifesto criticizing the French government’s costly and wasteful habit of demolishing housing blocks rather than rehabilitating them.

From New York Times • Aug. 2, 2021

"Vassal am I to the youth up yonder," the gilla made answer.

From The Ancient Irish Epic Tale Táin Bó Cúalnge by Dunn, Joseph

Related Words

• servant