vassallus

Latin

Etymology

Extended form of vassus, from Gaulish *wassos (“young man, squire”), from Proto-Celtic *wastos (“servant”) (compare Old Irish foss and Welsh gwas).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /u̯asˈsal.lus/, [u̯äs̠ˈs̠älːʲʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /vasˈsal.lus/, [väsˈsälːus]

Noun

vassallus m (genitive vassallī); second declension

1. vassal
2. servant

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	vassallus	vassallī
Genitive	vassallī	vassallōrum
Dative	vassallō	vassallīs
Accusative	vassallum	vassallōs
Ablative	vassallō	vassallīs
Vocative	vassalle	vassallī

Descendants

• Old French: vassal
  • Old French: vasselage, vassalage, vassallage
    • Middle French: vasselage, vasselaige, vassellage
      • French: vasselage
    • → Middle English: vasselage, vassellage, vassallage
      • English: vassalage
    • → Italian: vassallaggio
    • → Old Occitan: vassalatge
      • Old Catalan: vassallatge
        • Catalan: vassallatge
      • Occitan: vassalatge
    • → Spanish: vasallaje, vasallage
  • Middle French: vassal
    • French: vassal
      • → Czech: vazal
      • → Danish: vasal
      • → Polish: wasal
      • → Russian: васса́л (vassál); вассальный (vassalʹnyj)
        • → Armenian: վասալ (vasal)
      • → Serbo-Croatian: vàzāl
  • Norman: vassa
  • → Middle Dutch: vassael, vasael, vasal, vasseel
    • Dutch: vazal
  • → Middle English: vassal
    • Middle English: vassal, vasal
  • → Middle High German: vassal
    • German: Vassal
• Galician: vasalo
• Italian: vassallo
• Portuguese: vassalo
• Old Occitan:
  • Old Catalan: vassall, uassal, uassall, vasal
    • Catalan: vassall
  • Occitan: vassal
• Old Spanish: vasallo, uasallo, uassallo, uasiello, vassallo
  • Spanish: vasallo
• → Finnish: vasalli, vasallius; vasallimaa; vasallivaltio
• → Irish: vasáilleach

References

• vassallus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)