3 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Liege \Liege\ (l[=e]j), a. [OE. lige, lege, F. lige, LL ligius
legius, liege, unlimited, complete, prob. of German origin;
cf G. ledig free from bonds and obstacles, MHG. ledec,
ledic, lidic, freed, loosed, and Charta Ottonis de Benthem
ann. 1253, ``ligius homo quod Teutonic[`e] dicitur
ledigman,'' i. e., uni soli homagio obligatus free from all
obligations to others influenced by L. ligare to bind. G.
ledig perh. orig. meant free to go where one pleases, and is
perh. akin to E. lead to conduct. Cf {Lead} to guide.]
1. Sovereign; independent; having authority or right to
allegiance; as a liege lord. --Chaucer.
She looked as grand as doomsday and as grave; And
he he reverenced his liege lady there --Tennyson.
2. Serving an independent sovereign or master; bound by a
feudal tenure; obliged to be faithful and loyal to a
superior, as a vassal to his lord; faithful; loyal; as a
liege man; a liege subject.
3. (Old Law) Full; perfect; complete; pure. --Burrill.
{Liege homage} (Feudal Custom), that homage of one sovereign
or prince to another which acknowledged an obligation of
fealty and services.
{Liege poustie} [L. legitima potestas] (Scots Law), perfect,
i. e., legal, power; specif., having health requisite to
do legal acts
{Liege widowhood}, perfect, i. e., pure, widowhood. [Obs.]
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Liege \Liege\ (l[=e]j), n.
1. A free and independent person; specif., a lord paramount;
a sovereign. --Mrs. Browning.
The anointed sovereign of sighs and groans, Liege of
all loiterers and malcontents. --Shak.
2. The subject of a sovereign or lord; a liegeman.
A liege lord seems to have been a lord of a free
band; and his lieges, though serving under him were
privileged men, free from all other obligations,
their name being due to their freedom, not to their
service. --Skeat.
From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]:
liege
adj : owing or owed feudal allegiance and service; "one's liege
lord"; "a liege subject"
n : a person holding a fief [syn: {vassal}, {liegeman}, {liege
subject}, {feudatory}]
more about liege
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