lords

Noun

lord (plural lords)

1. (obsolete) The master of the servants of a household; (historical) the master of a feudal manor
   • Bleſſed is that ſeruant, whome his Lord when he commeth, ſhal finde ſo doing.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 24:46
   1. (archaic, obsolete) The male head of a household, a father or husband.
      • […]thou worthie Lord,
        Of that vnworthie wife that greeteth thee1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto), London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], →OCLC
   2. (archaic, obsolete) The owner of a house, piece of land, or other possession
      • A mightie Lord of Swine!ante 1637, Ben Jonson, Sad Shepherd, ii. i. 36
2. One possessing similar mastery over others; (historical) any feudal superior generally; any nobleman or aristocrat; any chief, prince, or sovereign ruler; in Scotland, a male member of the lowest rank of nobility (the equivalent rank in England is baron)
   • It is a pytuouse case... whan subjectes rebell agaynst their naturall lorde.1530, John Palsgrave, Lesclarcissement, 680/1
   1. (historical) A feudal tenant holding his manor directly of the king
   2. A peer of the realm, particularly a temporal one
      • Men myghten lordis knoweante 1420, T. Hoccleve, De Regimine Principum, 442

See all 28 meanings of lord