English
earl
Earl comes from Middle English erl ‘a great noble subordinate to a king or duke’, and goes back to Old English eorl.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150eorl‘a nobleman’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500erl‘a great noble subordinate to a king or duke’
- Englishtodayearl
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150eorl‘a nobleman’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500erl‘a great noble subordinate to a king or duke’
- Englishtodayearl
The story
Unrelated to ealdorman (‘alderman’).
Linked words
through Proto-Germanic *erlaz ‘man, nobleman’
Today it means
noun 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.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English eorl / earl