vassal

[ vas-uhl ]

/ ˈvæs əl /

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See synonyms for vassal on Thesaurus.com

noun

(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.

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

a servant or slave.

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of a vassal.

having the status or position of a vassal.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM vassal

vas·sal·less, adjectivenon·vas·sal, nounsub·vas·sal, nounun·der·vas·sal, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH vassal

vassal , vessel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use vassal in a sentence

Rivals can become vassals who do your bidding in exchange for your championing their wee causes.
What the Stars Hold for Your Week|Starsky + Cox|June 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The kiss also served as a sign of trust between feudal lords and vassals.
The History of Kissing|Sheril Kirshenbaum|February 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Hemingburgh makes Bruce speak to his father's vassals before the Irvine episode as a Scotsman, at any rate by descent.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
He was needed to set right his barony, for he himself grew weak and his vassals quarrelsome.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis

And Herbert began to call to arms the vassals of the barony, and chuckled when he thought of the brave times ahead.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
The great vassals, veritable sovereigns, entrenched in their duchies, laughed at the impotent authority of the King.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman|Eugne Sue
But for a moment it seemed just possible that some of his vassals would break out in spite of him.
The Cradle of Mankind|W.A. Wigram

British Dictionary definitions for vassal

vassal

/ (ˈvæsəl) /

noun

(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

a person, nation, etc, in a subordinate, suppliant, or dependent position relative to another
(as modifier)vassal status

adjective

of or relating to a vassal

Derived forms of vassal

vassal-less, adjective

Word Origin for vassal

C14: via Old French from Medieval Latin vassallus, from vassus servant, of Celtic origin; compare Welsh gwas boy, Old Irish foss servant

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

Cultural definitions for vassal

vassal

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

vassal

Origin of vassal

OTHER WORDS FROM vassal

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH vassal

Words related to vassal

How to use vassal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vassal

Derived forms of vassal

Word Origin for vassal

Cultural definitions for vassal