vassal

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“
He is half as my vassal, and yet I solemnly forgave him in my own name and in that of my friends.

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Definitions (17)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. noun A person who held land from a feudal lord and received protection in return for homage and allegiance.
  2. noun A bondman; a slave.
  3. noun A subordinate or dependent.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (9)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (4)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples (50)

  • At the beginning of the week Anthony had been silent and taken to frowning, but by week's end Duncan noticed his vassal was usually the one speaking. —  Garwood, Julie - Honor's Splendour
  • Madelyne was just like a vassal, and though she hadn't knelt on the ground and given him her pledge, it was still his duty to protect her. —  Garwood, Julie - Honor's Splendour
  • He is half as my vassal, and yet I solemnly forgave him in my own name and in that of my friends. —  Sintram and His Companions
  • When the Hagen story was connected with the Burgundians and Hagen became either their brother or their vassal, his home was transferred to Worms and Siegfried was located at Xanten, as he had no especial localization. —  The Nibelungenlied
  • His nameless son and successor [212] is described as the vassal of the sultan, whom he served with two hundred lances: that Comnenian prince was no more than duke of Trebizond, and the title of emperor was first assumed by the pride and envy of the grandson of Alexius. —  History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 6
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Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

serf ·  retainer ·  baron ·  courtier ·  ally ·  follower ·  chieftain ·  lord ·  heir ·  adviser ·  servant ·  nobleman

Used in the same contextWord Family

vassal:   vassals

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *vassallus, from *vassus, of Celtic origin; see upo in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Formerly also vassall, rarely vassaile; from Middle English vassal, from Old French vassal, French vassal = Provencal vassal, vassau = Catalan vassal = Spanish vasallo = Portuguese Italian vassallo = Dutch vassaal = G. Swedish vasall = Danish vasal, from Middle Latin vassallus, extended from vassus, vasus, a servant, from Bret, gwaz, a servant, vassal, man, male, = Welsh gwas = Cornish gwas, a youth, servant; cf. Irish fas, growing, growth, and English wax. Hence ult. varlet, valet, vassalage, vavasor.
  2. from vassal, n.
 

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/ˈvæsəl/
by American Heritage

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