vassal

Alternative forms

• vasal (rare)

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French vassal, from Medieval Latin vassallus (“manservant, domestic, retainer”), from vassus (“servant”), from Gaulish *wassos (“young man, squire”), from Proto-Celtic *wastos (“servant”) (compare Old Irish foss and Welsh gwas).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvæsəl/
• Rhymes: -æsəl

Noun

vassal (plural vassals)

1. (historical) The grantee of a fief, feud, or fee; one who keeps land of a superior, and who vows fidelity and homage to him, normally a lord of a manor; a feudatory; a feudal tenant.
2. A subordinate

   Synonyms: subject, dependant, servant, slave

   • Milton

     The vassals of his anger.

Adjective

vassal (not comparable)

1. Resembling a vassal; slavish; servile.

Verb

vassal (third-person singular simple present vassals, present participle vassalling, simple past and past participle vassalled)

1. (transitive) To treat as a vassal or to reduce to the position of a vassal; to subject to control; to enslave.
2. (transitive) To subordinate to someone or something.

Anagrams

• Salvas, slavas, vasals

Etymology

From Old French vassal, from Medieval Latin vassallus (“manservant, domestic, retainer”), from vassus (“servant”), from Gaulish *wassos (“young man, squire”), from Proto-Celtic *wastos (“servant”) (compare Old Irish foss and Welsh gwas).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /va.sal/

Adjective

vassal (feminine singular vassale, masculine plural vassaux, feminine plural vassales)

1. vassal

Noun

vassal m (plural vassaux, feminine vassale)

1. a vassal

Further reading

• “vassal” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• valsas

Etymology

vas +‎ -val

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈvɒʃːɒl]
• Hyphenation: vas‧sal

Noun

vassal

1. instrumental singular of vas

Noun

vassal m (oblique plural vassaus or vassax or vassals, nominative singular vassaus or vassax or vassals, nominative plural vassal)

1. vassal