vassal

English

Alternative forms

• vasal (rare)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvæsəl/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -æsəl

Noun

vassal (plural vassals)

1. (historical, law) The grantee of a fief, a subordinate granted use of a superior's land and its income in exchange for vows of fidelity and homage and (typically) military service.

   Synonyms: feudatory, feudal tenant

   The manor's vassals owed first fruits and a tithe to the parish church, another 10% to the lord (including at least 50 eels), a week or two each year of service in the manor's upkeep, and service in the local fyrd.

2. (historical) Any direct subordinate bound by such vows to a superior.

   Synonyms: subject, dependant, bondsman, villein, serf, helot, thrall, servant, slave

   The king ordered his vassals to join him on the crusade unless they had a written note signed by the archbishop or pope.

3. (figurative) Any subordinate bound by similar close ties.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     The vassals of his anger.

Derived terms

• envassal
• vassalage
• vassaldom
• vassaless
• vassalhood
• vassalic
• vassal-in-chief
• vassalize
• vassalry
• vassalship
• vassal state

 

Related terms

• valet
• varlet

 

Translations

grantee of a fief

• Armenian: վասալ (hy) (vasal)
• Belarusian: васа́л m (vasál)
• Bulgarian: васа́л m (vasál)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 封臣 (fēngchén)

• Czech: vazal m
• Danish: vasal c
• Dutch: vazal (nl) m
• Esperanto: vasalo
• Finnish: vasalli (fi)
• French: vassal (fr) m
• Galician: vasalo m
• Georgian: ვასალი (ka) (vasali)
• German: Vasall (de) m, Lehnsmann (de) m, Gefolgsmann (de) m, Gefolgsleute (de) pl, Höriger (de) m, Klient (de) m
• Hungarian: hűbéres (hu), vazallus (hu)
• Irish: vasáilleach m
• Italian: vassallo (it)
• Japanese: 封臣 (ほうしん, hōshin), 幕臣 (ja) (ばくしん, bakushin) (shogunate retainer)
• Korean: 봉신(封臣) (bongsin)
• Latin: cliēns m, ambactus m, vassallus m
• Macedonian: ва́зал m (vázal)
• Manx: jiulean
• Norman: vassa m
• Polish: wasal (pl) m
• Portuguese: vassalo (pt) m
• Quechua: suyu runa
• Russian: васса́л (ru) m (vassál)
• Slovak: vazal m
• Slovene: vazal m
• Spanish: vasallo (es) m
• Swedish: vasall (sv)
• Ukrainian: васа́л (uk) m (vasál)
• Volapük: vasal

servant

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 附庸 (zh) (fùyōng), 奴僕／奴仆 (zh) (núpú), 僕從／仆从 (zh) (púcóng)

• Danish: vasal c
• Esperanto: vasalo
• Finnish: vasalli (fi)
• French: vassal (fr) m
• Galician: vasalo m, servo m
• Georgian: ვასალი (ka) (vasali)
• German: Vasall (de) m, Gefolgsmann (de) m, Lakai (de) m, Dienstmann (de) m, Büttel (de) m, Entourage (de) pl, Scherge (de) m, Handlanger (de) m, Hucker (de) m
• Hungarian: csatlós (hu), szolga (hu), alattvaló (hu)
• Ido: vasalo (io)
• Irish: vasáilleach m, seirbhíseach m
• Japanese: 家臣 (ja) (かしん, kashin), 臣下 (ja) (しんか, shinka)
• Latin: servus (la) m, ambactus m
• Macedonian: слу́га m (slúga), ва́зал m (vázal)
• Maori: awhenga, wheteke
• Norman: vassa m (Jersey)
• Portuguese: vassalo (pt) m, servo (pt) m
• Russian: васса́л (ru) m (vassál)
• Spanish: vasallo (es) m

Adjective

vassal (not comparable)

1. Resembling a vassal; slavish; servile.
   • c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:

     Did they, quoth you? / Who sees the heavenly Rosaline / That, like a rude and savage man of Inde / At the first opening of the gorgeous east / Bows not his vassal head and strucken blind / Kisses the base ground with obedient breast?

Translations

resembling a vassal; slavish; servile — see also slavish,‎ servile

• Bulgarian: васалски (vasalski)
• Finnish: alamainen (fi)
• Georgian: ვასალური (vasaluri)
• Hungarian: hűbéresi, vazallusi, szolgai (hu)
• Irish: vasáilleach, seirbhíseach
• Macedonian: ва́залски (vázalski), ва́зален (vázalen)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} vassal (fr) m

Verb

vassal (third-person singular simple present vassals, present participle vassaling or vassalling, simple past and past participle vassaled or 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.

Translations

to treat as a vassal or to reduce to the position of a vassal; to subject to control; to enslave — see also enslave

• Finnish: orjuuttaa (fi)
• French: vassaliser (fr)
• Hungarian: szolgasorba/szolgaságba dönt
• Spanish: avasallar (es)

to subordinate to someone or something — see also subordinate

• French: vassaliser (fr)
• Hungarian: alávet (hu)
• Spanish: avasallar (es)

Anagrams

• Salvas, slavas, vasals

French

Etymology

From Old French vassal, from Medieval Latin vassallus (“manservant, domestic, retainer”), from Latin 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/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

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

1. vassal

Noun

vassal m (plural vassaux, feminine vassale)

1. a vassal

Descendants

• → Danish: vasal
• → Russian: васса́л (vassál) (see there for further descendants)

Further reading

• “vassal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• valsas

Hungarian

Etymology

vas (“iron”) +‎ -val (“with”, instrumental case suffix)

Pronunciation

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

Noun

vassal

1. instrumental singular of vas

Derived terms

• tűzzel-vassal

Middle English

Alternative forms

• vassall

Etymology

From Old French vassal.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvasal/

Noun

vassal (plural vassalles)

1. A feudal retainer, who is obliged to render military service.
2. A servant to one’s beloved, professed lover.
3. As surname.

Descendants

• English: vassal
• Yola: vassale

References

• “vassal, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Old French

Noun

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

1. vassal

Descendants

• French: vassal
• Norman: vassa (Jersey)
• → Middle English: vassal, vassall
  • English: vassal
  • Yola: vassale