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loyalty

 - 3 dictionary results

loy⋅al⋅ty

[loi-uhl-tee]
–noun, plural -ties.
1. the state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments or obligations.
2. faithful adherence to a sovereign, government, leader, cause, etc.
3. an example or instance of faithfulness, adherence, or the like: a man with fierce loyalties.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME loialte < MF. See loyal, -ty 2


2. fealty, devotion, constancy. Loyalty, allegiance, fidelity all imply a sense of duty or of devoted attachment to something or someone. Loyalty connotes sentiment and the feeling of devotion that one holds for one's country, creed, family, friends, etc. Allegiance applies particularly to a citizen's duty to his or her country, or, by extension, one's obligation to support a party, cause, leader, etc. Fidelity implies unwavering devotion and allegiance to a person, principle, etc.


1, 2. faithlessness.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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loy·al·ty   (loi'əl-tē)   
n.   pl. loy·al·ties
  1. The state or quality of being loyal. See Synonyms at fidelity.

  2. A feeling or attitude of devoted attachment and affection. Often used in the plural: My loyalties lie with my family.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

loyalty 
c.1400, from O.Fr. loyalté (Fr. loyauté), from O.Fr. loial, from L. legalis "legal," from lex (gen. legis "law"). Replaced Anglo-Norm. leal (q.v.), from the same L. source. Sense development in Eng. is feudal, via notion of "faithful in carrying out legal obligations." Loyalty oath first attested 1952.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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