Meaning & use
vassal
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Meanings
nouncountabletechnical
In medieval Europe, a person who received land from a lord and promised loyalty and service in return.
Grammar: Often followed by of: a vassal of the king.
Patterns
- a vassal of someone
- vassal to someone
The knight became a vassal of the duke and swore an oath.
A vassal owed the lord soldiers in time of war.
Each vassal ruled his lands but answered to the king.
nouncountablefigurative
A country, ruler or group that depends on a stronger one and must obey it.
Grammar: Often figurative: a vassal state.
Patterns
- a vassal state
The small kingdom was a vassal of its powerful neighbor.
Critics called the country a vassal state of the empire.
The tribe lived as a vassal, paying tribute each year.
Word forms
| plural | vassals |
|---|
Common combinations
- loyal vassal
- A loyal vassal never broke his word to the lord.
- vassal state
- The treaty made the island a vassal state.
- vassal of
- He was a vassal of the Earl.
- swear as a vassal
- He knelt to swear as a vassal.
- vassal lord
- The vassal lord raised an army for the king.
Synonyms and how they differ
- subject
- A subject is anyone under a ruler, but a vassal specifically owes duties in return for land.
- servant
- A servant works for a master, while a vassal held land and swore loyalty.
- puppet
- A puppet is a ruler controlled by another, a more insulting word than the neutral vassal.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: vassal or vessel?
vassal vs vessel
A vessel is a ship or container; vassal and vessel sound alike but mean different things.
Practice
In the Middle Ages, a knight who swore loyalty to a lord in return for land was the lord's ___.
Choose one answer.
A vassal received land in exchange for loyalty. A vessel is a ship or container, so it only sounds similar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vassal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.