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Meaning & use

lordships

noun·AdvancedformalBritish

Last updated

UK/ˈlɔːdʃɪps/
US/ˈlɔːrdʃɪps/

“lordships” is a form of “lordship”.

Meanings

  1. nounpluralformalBritish

    A respectful way of addressing or referring to several judges or members of the House of Lords, used in the phrases your lordships and their lordships.

    Grammar: Takes a plural verb: their lordships have retired to consider the evidence.

    Patterns

    • Your Lordships
    • their lordships

    May it please Your Lordships, I will begin with the first point of law.

    Their lordships have asked for more time to consider the evidence.

    The barrister thanked their lordships for their patience.

  2. nounpluraltechnical

    Lands or districts ruled by lords in the Middle Ages, or the power a lord held over them.

    Grammar: Plural of lordship: the king granted several lordships to his supporters.

    Patterns

    • lordships of something

    The king rewarded his allies with lordships along the border.

    Several lordships were joined together by marriage.

    Historians study how lordships were managed in the twelfth century.

Word forms

singularlordship

Common combinations

Your Lordships
My argument, if Your Lordships will allow, rests on one case.
their lordships
Their lordships rose from the bench at four o'clock.
rule over lordships
The family ruled over several lordships in the north.
grant lordships
The king granted lordships to loyal supporters.
debate in their lordships' house
The bill was debated in their lordships' house.

Synonyms and how they differ

honors
Honors is a general term for formal awards and titles and does not mean a form of address to judges.
domains
Domains refers to the lands a ruler controls in general, while lordships are specifically those held by a lord.
estates
Estates stresses owned property, but lordships also imply the power to rule over people on the land.

Word family

lord noun
a man of noble rank, or a ruler
lordship noun
the rank or authority of a lord
lordly adjective
proud and grand, like a lord
landlord noun
a person who owns property and rents it out

Commonly confused: lordships or ladyships?

lordships vs ladyships

Ladyship is the matching title used for a woman, as in Your Ladyship, while lordship is used for a man.

Practice

A barrister speaks to a panel of senior judges in an English court. Which form of address is most formal?

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