earl

nouncommon in dialogue

United Kingdom//ɜːl//
United States//ɝl//
//ɛrl//
//ɛːrl//

A British or Irish nobleman next in rank above a viscount and below a marquess; equivalent to a European count. A female using the style is termed a countess.

noun

1
A British or Irish nobleman next in rank above a viscount and below a marquess; equivalent to a European count. A female using the style is termed a countess.
2
Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Tanaecia. Other butterflies in this genus are called counts and viscounts.

Etymology

From Middle English erl, erle, from Old English eorl, from Proto-West Germanic *erl, from Proto-Germanic *erlaz (compare Old Saxon erl, Old Norse jarl), from Proto-Germanic *erōną, *arōną (compare Old Norse jara (“fight, battle”)). Doublet of eorl and jarl. Unrelated to ealdorman (“alderman”).

Forms

plural: earls

Eagle · The Apollo Lunar Module of Apollo 11.Eagles · A surname.ear · The organ of hearing, consisting of the pinna or auricle,…

earl · A British or Irish nobleman next in rank above a viscount and below a marquess; equivalent to a European count. A female using the style is termed a…

Earl · The title of an earl.earlier · occurring previously early · At a time in advance of the usual or expected event.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.