liege

Meanings

Noun

• A free and independent person; specifically, a lord paramount; a sovereign.
• A king or lord.
• The subject of a sovereign or lord; a liegeman.

Adjective

• Sovereign; independent; having authority or right to allegiance.
• Full; perfect; complete; pure.

Origin

• From Middle English liege, lege, lige, from Anglo-Norman lige, from Old French liege, from Middle High German ledic, ledec (Modern German ledig) from Proto-Germanic *liþugaz.
• Akin to Old Frisian leþeg, leþoch, Old English liþiġ, Old Norse liðugr, Old Saxon lethig, Low German leddig, Middle Dutch ledich (Dutch ledig and leeg), Middle English lethi.
• An alternate etymology traces the Old French word to Late Latin laeticus, from laetus, from Gothic *𐌻𐌴𐍄𐍃 (attested in derivatives such as 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌻𐌴𐍄𐍃), from Proto-Germanic *lētaz, from Proto-Germanic *lētaną.