douzeper

Meaning

Noun

• One of the legendary "twelve peers" or renowned warriors of Charlemagne, the Emperor of the Romans from 800 to 814.
• One of the twelve nobles granted feudal territories or episcopal sees by the King of France in return for their fealty (namely the Archbishop-Duke of Rheims; the Bishop-Dukes of Laon and Langres; the Bishop-Counts of Beauvais, Chalons, and Noyon, the Dukes of Normandy, Burgundy, and Aquitaine; and the Counts of Toulouse, Flanders and Champagne).
• An individual considered to be like or in the model of Charlemagne's peers; someone considered a great hero or paladin.

Origin

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• From Middle English dosse per, dousse-per, treated as a singular form of dosse pers, dousse pers, from Anglo-Norman, Middle French douse pers, douze pers, and Old French douze pers, doze pers, duze pers (also in the singular forms doze per, duze per, and in Anglo-Norman and Middle French written with a Roman numeral as XII pers), from doze, douze (modern French douze) + pers (plural of per; modern French pair). Doze is derived from Latin duodecim, from duo (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁) + decem (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *déḱm̥); per is derived from Latin pār.