earl

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a British or Irish nobleman ranking below a marquess and above a viscount, equivalent in rank to a count

   The earl inherited the title and its associated estates from his father.

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Simplified etymology

Earl was an Old English title for a man of noble rank, contrasted with a peasant or churl. By the early 11th century it could denote the governor of a large region such as Wessex; under Norman influence, it was later applied to nobles holding the continental title count.

From Old English eorl ("nobleman, warrior"), cognate with Old Norse jarl. After the Norman Conquest, earl became the English title corresponding to continental count; the wife or female holder of the rank is a countess.

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