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Added 9 October 2026

earl

/ɜːl/ noun

In Latin: comes Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about earl at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount.

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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