allegiance

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Loyalty or the obligation of loyalty, as to a nation, sovereign, or cause. See Synonyms at fidelity.
2. n. The obligations of a vassal to a lord.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The tie or obligation of a subject or citizen to his sovereign or government; the duty of fidelity to a king, government, or state. Every citizen owes allegiance to the government under which he is born. Natural or implied allegiance is that obligation which one owes to the nation of which he is a natural-born citizen or subject so long as he remains such, and it does not arise from any express promise. Express allegiance is that obligation which proceeds from an express promise or oath of fidelity. Local or temporary allegiance is due from an alien to the government or state under or in which he resides. In the United States the paramount allegiance of a citizen has been decided to be due to the general government, and not to the government of the particular State in which he is domiciled.
2. n. Hence Observance of obligation in general; fidelity to any person or thing; devotion.
3. n. Synonyms Allegiance, Loyalty, Fealty. Allegiance is the most formal and official of these words; it is a matter of principle, and applies especially to conduct; the oath of allegiance covers conduct only.
4. n. Loyalty is a matter of both principle and sentiment, conduct and feeling; it implies enthusiasm and devotion, and hence is most frequently chosen for figurative uses: as, loyalty to a lover, husband, family, clan, friends, old traditions, religion. Neither allegiance nor loyalty is confined to its original meaning of the obligation due from a subject to a prince.
5. n. Fealty has escaped less completely from this earliest sense, but has a permissible use in the sense of fidelity under obligation of various kinds.

Wiktionary

1. n. Loyalty to some cause, nation or ruler.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The tie or obligation, implied or expressed, which a subject owes to his sovereign or government; the duty of fidelity to one's king, government, or state.
2. n. Devotion; loyalty.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action
2. n. the loyalty that citizens owe to their country (or subjects to their sovereign)