Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Nearby Words

EARL

 - 5 dictionary results

earl

  [url]
Use EARL in a Sentence
–noun
1. a British nobleman of a rank below that of marquis and above that of viscount: called count for a time after the Norman conquest. The wife of an earl is a countess.
2. (in Anglo-Saxon England) a governor of one of the great divisions of England, including East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria, and Wessex.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME erl, OE eorl; c. OS erl man, ON jarl chieftain

Earl

  [url]
–noun
a male given name: from the old English word meaning “noble.”
Also, Earle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To EARL
earl   (ûrl)   
n.  

  1. A British nobleman next in rank above a viscount and below a marquis, corresponding to a count in continental Europe.

  2. Abbr. E. Used as a title for such a nobleman.


[Middle English erl, nobleman of high rank, from Old English eorl.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
earl [ɚl]

  1. in.
    to vomit. (Onomatopoetic. Possibly from hurl.) : Who's earling in the john?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

earl 
O.E. eorl "nobleman, warrior" (contrasted with ceorl "churl"), from P.Gmc. *erlo-z, of uncertain origin. In Anglo-Saxon poetry, "a warrior, a brave man;" in later O.E., a Danish under-king (equivalent of O.N. jarl), then one of the viceroys under the Danish dynasty in England. After 1066 adopted as the equivalent of L. comes (see count (n.)). Earldom is from c.1123.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see EARL on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way