EARL

Earl

An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke . In later medieval Britain, it became the equivalent of the continental count . However, earlier in Scandinavia jarl could also mean sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty kingdoms of Norway had in fact the title of jarl and in many cases of no lesser power than their neighbours who had the title of king. Alternative names for ...

The above text is a snippet from Wikipedia: Earl
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

earl

Noun

  1. A British nobleman next in rank above a viscount and below a marquess; equivalent to a European count. A female using the style is termed a countess.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: earl
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

Need help with a clue?
Try your search in the crossword dictionary!