''earl'' ▫ᴱᴺ Entries

↩ 🔳 🔳 🔳

---

Primary

⁀➴

''earl'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260125204041-00-⌔

earl - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Noun

earl (plural earls)

• (nobility) A British or Irish nobleman next in rank above a viscount and below a marquess; equivalent to a European count. A female using the style is termed a countess.
• (entomology) Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Tanaecia. Other butterflies in this genus are called counts and viscounts.

Etymology

From Middle English erl, erle, from Old English eorl, from Proto-West Germanic ﹡erl, from Proto-Germanic ﹡erlaz (compare Old Saxon erl, Old Norse jarl), from Proto-Germanic ﹡erōną, ﹡arōną (compare Old Norse jara (“fight, battle”)). Doublet of eorl and jarl. Unrelated to ealdorman (“alderman”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: ûrl
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ɜːl/
• Audio (Southern England): 🔊
• (General American) IPA: /ɝl/
• (Early Modern) IPA: /ɛrl/, (rare)/ɛːrl/¹
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)l
• Homophone: URL

Printed 2026-06-28.

(echo:: @ ⌗)

Footnotes

1. Dobson, E[ric] J. (1957), English pronunciation 1500-1700 ‎${}^{[1]}$, second edition, volume II: Phonology, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1968, →OCLC, § 7, page 470: “Earl is recorded with ę̄ by Cooper, and with ĕ by Hodges, Price, Poole, Stringer, Brown, and RS.” ↩

Link to original

Secondary

• • •

---