Liege
/liːdʒ/noun
A feudal superior or lord, or someone owing allegiance to such a lord; also used in the phrase "my liege."
Did you know?In medieval usage, a liege was not just a lord but one to whom a person owed the strongest possible allegiance, and the word traces back to Germanic ideas of being 'bound' or 'obliged.'
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*līgjaną
“to lie down; to be placed, settled”
Old Frankish
Frankish
*līdīg
“subject, dependent, or one bound by obligation”
Old French
Old French
lige
“feudal lord; faithful vassal; bound by direct allegiance”
12th Century
Anglo-Norman
lige
“a lord or person to whom one owes primary loyalty”
Middle English
English
lige
“a feudal superior; one owed allegiance”
Modern English
English
liege
“a feudal lord or sovereign; also used as a form of address”