Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A British nobleman next in rank above a viscount and below a marquis, corresponding to a count in continental Europe.
- noun Used as a title for such a nobleman.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A British title of nobility designating a nobleman of the third rank, being that next below a marquis and next above a viscount.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A nobleman of England ranking below a marquis, and above a viscount. The rank of an earl corresponds to that of a
count (comte ) in France, andgraf in Germany. Hence the wife of an earl is still called countess. Seecount . - noun (Zoöl.), Ireland The needlefish.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
British nobleman next inrank above aviscount and below amarquess ; equivalent to aEuropean count . A female using the style is termed acountess .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word earl.
Examples
-
May 10, 2005 at 11: 22 AM earl is that way - only with guitars - we have guitars everywhere ...
He did it again 2005
-
And then she called the earl a number of names that Pearson had never before heard uttered by a lady … and he was using that term in its loosest vernacular.
LADY of SKYE PATRICIA CABOT 2001
-
Intolerable enough, perhaps, to drive title earl to another sort of revenge.
Captives Of The Night Chase, Loretta 1994
-
The earl is pursuing him now, not only as his daughter's seducer, but as a swindler and a thief.
-
Even your name, too-generous earl, is in the horrid catalogue.
The Scottish Chiefs 1875
-
"I wished to learn its most pregnable part," replied Edwin, his young heart beating with triumph at these encomiums from his commander; "and particularly where the good earl is confined that we might make our attack directly to the point."
The Scottish Chiefs 1875
-
In pursuance of his usurping commission, the earl is now marching rapidly towards the Lothians, in the hope of intercepting you in your progress.
The Scottish Chiefs 1875
-
Her own instincts told her that the earl was a complex individual, formed by a tragedy and by the isolation of his home.
One Night in Scotland Karen Hawkins 2010
-
Would Mr. Hay stay here if the earl were an evil man?
One Night in Scotland Karen Hawkins 2010
-
The earl is a quiet man, but he has a quick temper.
One Night in Scotland Karen Hawkins 2010
skipvia commented on the word earl
Duke of Earl by Gene Chandler. Moment of silence...
February 9, 2008
treeseed commented on the word earl
Goodbye Earl, Dixie Chicks, 1999
February 10, 2008