liege

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablearchaicliterary

   A lord in the feudal system who was owed loyalty and service by those under his protection.

   Grammar: Often used in the phrase my liege when speaking to a ruler.

   Patterns

   • swear loyalty to a liege
   • a liege lord

   The knight knelt before his liege and swore to defend the castle.

   A liege could call his vassals to war.

   In the play, the duke is the liege of the whole valley.

2. 2nouncountablearchaicrare

   A vassal who owed loyalty and service to a lord.

   Grammar: The older, rarer sense; it can be confusing because the word could point either way.

   Patterns

   • a liege of someone

   He was the liege of the count and owed him forty days of service each year.

   The lord promised protection to every liege who paid homage.

Word forms

Common combinations

my liege

Your army is ready, my liege.

liege lord

The baron obeyed his liege lord.

swear fealty to a liege

The young squire swore fealty to his liege.

liege man

As a liege man, he could not serve two masters.

Synonyms and how they differ

lord

Lord is wider and covers any noble, while liege specifically stresses loyalty owed under feudal ties.

overlord

Overlord suggests a ruler of several lesser lords, which is a larger scale than a liege.

sovereign

Sovereign means a supreme ruler and does not carry the personal feudal bond of liege.

master

Master is a general word for someone who commands servants, not specifically a feudal lord.

Opposites

Word family

liegeman noun

a loyal follower of a feudal lord

allegiance noun

loyalty owed to a ruler or cause

liege-lady noun

a female feudal superior, rare

Commonly confused: liege or Liège?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “liege”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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