Liegance
/ˈliː.dʒəns/noun
Archaic loyalty or allegiance owed to a lord, sovereign, or superior.
Did you know?In medieval feudal society, liegance was not merely an emotion but a socially and legally binding bond between a vassal and a liege lord.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*liudiz
“People or a member of a people; a proposed ancestral source connected with the later sense of a liege as a personal lord.”
Old French
Old French
lige
“Liege; a feudal lord or one bound by a feudal relationship.”
Anglo-French
Anglo-French
ligeance
“The condition or obligation of being liege; feudal loyalty.”
13th–14th Century
Middle English
legeaunce
“Loyalty, allegiance, or faithful service to a lord or king.”
Modern English
English
liegance
“An obsolete or archaic word for allegiance or loyalty.”
Explore more surprising origins