vassal

English

Alternative forms

• vasal (rare)

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French vassal, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Medieval Latin vassallus (“manservant, domestic, retainer”), from vassus (“servant”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Gaulish *wassos (“young man, squire”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] 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

   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The vassals of his anger.

Derived terms

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

 

Related terms

• valet
• varlet

Translations

grantee of a fief

• Armenian: վասալ (hy) (vasal)
• 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: vasáilleach m
• Italian: vassallo (it)
• Japanese: 封臣 (ほうしん, hōshin), 幕臣 (ばくしん, bakushin) (shogunate retainer)
• Latin: cliēns m, ambactus m, vassallus m
• Manx: jiulean
• Norman: vassa m
• Polish: wasal (pl) m
• Portuguese: vassalo (pt) m
• Quechua: suyu runa
• Russian: васса́л (ru) m (vassál)
• Spanish: vasallo (es) m
• Swedish: vasall (sv)
• Volapük: vasal

servant

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 附庸 (zh) (fùyōng), 奴僕／奴仆 (zh) (núpú), 奴仆 (zh) (núpú), 僕從／仆从 (zh) (púcóng), 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 m, Büttel (de) m, Entourage (de) pl, Scherge (de) m, Handlanger (de) m, Hucker (de) m
• Ido: vasalo (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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
• 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.
   • 1594, William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost, 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

• Finnish: alamainen (fi)
• Georgian: ვასალური (vasaluri)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: vasáilleach, seirbhíseach

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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Verb

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

• Finnish: orjuuttaa (fi)
• French: vassaliser (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: avasallar (es)

to subordinate to someone

• French: vassaliser (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: avasallar (es)

Anagrams

• Salvas, slavas, vasals

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French

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French vassal, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] 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 vassale, masculine plural vassaux, feminine plural vassales)

1. vassal

Noun

vassal m (plural vassaux, feminine vassale)

1. a vassal

Descendants

• → 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

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Hungarian

Etymology

vas +‎ -val

Pronunciation

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

Noun

vassal

1. instrumental singular of vas

Derived terms

• tűzzel-vassal

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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

• English: vassal (rare)
• French: vassal
• Norman: vassa (Jersey)