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liegemore about liege

liege

 

  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}]




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