viscount
Americannoun
-
a nobleman next below an earl or count and next above a baron.
-
History/Historical. a deputy of a count or earl.
-
(in England) a sheriff.
noun
-
(in the British Isles) a nobleman ranking below an earl and above a baron
-
(in various countries) a son or younger brother of a count See also vicomte
-
(in medieval Europe) the deputy of a count
Etymology
Origin of viscount
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English viscounte, from Anglo-French; Old French visconte, from vis vice 3 + counte count 2, translation of Medieval Latin vicecomes
Explanation
A viscount is a member of the nobility, a man whose title gives him a rank just above a baron. In the United Kingdom, viscount is sometimes a "courtesy title," bestowed at some point during the recipient's live, while others are born into the title. If you're hanging out with noblemen, you may meet the Viscount of Arbuthnot or the Viscount Colville of Culross. The equivalent title for a woman is vicountess. Both words come from Latin roots, vice, "deputy," and comes, "nobleman."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Former lovers, a marquise and a viscount, pass the time in decadent games of destruction in pre-revolutionary France.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 23, 2019
Queue up these tunes, and your pup will be able to wait out storms with the refinement and sophistication of a forlorn viscount peering out his estate’s rainy window.
From Slate • May 16, 2019
Another group of deniers, led by a British viscount with a degree in classical architecture, asked to file an amicus brief in the case.
From The Verge • Mar. 22, 2018
She: Lady Daphne Bridgerton, daughter of a viscount, beautiful, witty, sympathetic, bored by her conventional suitors and yearning to have children — she’s one of a happy brood of eight.
From New York Times • Sep. 26, 2017
“Who cares if a Modegan viscount outranks a Vintish spara-thain?”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
