English
earldom
Earldom comes from Middle English erldom ‘a county or earldom’, and goes back to Old English eorl ‘a nobleman’.
- Old Englishc. 450–1150eorl‘a nobleman’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150eorldōm
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500erldom‘a county or earldom’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1593earldom
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Old Englishc. 450–1150eorl‘a nobleman’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150eorldōm
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500erldom‘a county or earldom’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1593earldom
Earliest quotation: c. 1593, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]: “And, look when I am king, claim thou of…”
Formed from earl + -dom
Old English eorl ‘a nobleman’
Middle English erl ‘a great noble subordinate to a king or duke’
English earl
Linked words
through Proto-Germanic *erlaz ‘man, nobleman’
Today it means
noun The rank of being an earl.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old English eorl / earldom