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earl
earl A British nobleman ranking between marquis and viscount, ranked third in the peerage. From Alfred's time ALDERMEN had charge of shires, but during the 10th century they became more important, with overall control of several shires. King CANUTE's dependence on his Scandinavian jarls (earls) gave them territorial power in England over the regions of Northumbria, East Anglia, and Wessex. They presided over the shire court, commanded its fyrd, and retained one-third of the profits of justice (replaced later by King John with a fixed sum). Under the Norman kings in the 11th century shire administration passed to the sheriffs but the hereditary title of earl survived.
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"earl." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "earl." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-earl.html "earl." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-earl.html |
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Earl
Earl ♂ North American: from the title originally adopted as a nickname parallel to Duke, King, etc. The title was used in England in Norman times as an equivalent of the French comte ‘count’ it is from Old English eorl ‘warrior, nobleman, prince’. In some cases the given name may have been taken from the surname Earl, which was originally either a nickname or a term denoting someone who worked in the household of an earl.
Variants: Earle, Erle. |
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Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Earl." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Earl." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Earl.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Earl." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Earl.html |
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earl
earl †warrior, nobleman, prince, OE.; equiv. of count XII. OE. eorl = OS., OHG. erl, ON. jarl (runic erilaR), of unkn. orig.
Hence earldom XII. |
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "earl." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "earl." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-earl.html T. F. HOAD. "earl." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-earl.html |
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earl
earl / ərl/ • n. a British nobleman ranking above a viscount and below a marquess. |
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"earl." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "earl." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-earl.html "earl." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-earl.html |
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Earl
Earl or Earl's as affix, see main name, e.g. for Earl's Barton (Northants.) see Barton.
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A. D. MILLS. "Earl." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. A. D. MILLS. "Earl." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Earl.html A. D. MILLS. "Earl." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Earl.html |
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earl
earl
•birl, burl, churl, curl, earl, Erle, furl, girl, herl, hurl, knurl, merle, pas seul, pearl, purl, Searle, skirl, squirl, swirl, twirl, whirl, whorl
•salesgirl
•ballgirl, call girl
•cowgirl • showgirl • schoolgirl
•choirgirl • weathergirl • Husserl
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"earl." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "earl." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-earl.html "earl." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-earl.html |
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