Lord

"Lordship" redirects here. For the neighborhood in Stratford, Connecticut, see Lordship (neighborhood). For other uses, see Lord (disambiguation).

A Lord is a person who has power and authority. It can have different meanings depending on the context of use. Women will usually (but not universally) take the title \'Lady\' instead of Lord. Two examples of a female Lord are the Lord of Mann, or the Lord Provost of Edinburgh (2003–2007).

The etymology of the English word lord goes back to Old English hlaf-weard (loaf-guardian) – reflecting the Germanic tribal custom of a superior providing food for his followers. The female equivalent, Lady, may come from words meaning "loaf-kneader". Laird is also often translated as "Lord", see Laird.

Title

In the United Kingdom, the House of Lords—commonly known as "the Lords"—forms the upper house of Parliament. Until recently many hereditary lords (particularly English lords, as opposed to Scottish and Irish lords) had automatic membership of the House of Lords – but see House of Lords Act 1999.

Five ranks of peer exist in the UK, namely Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, and Baron; all male peers except dukes use the style "Lord X". The title "Lord" also applies by courtesy to certain of their children, e.g. the younger sons of dukes and marquesses can use the style "Lord (firstname) (lastname)". Many Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts and Barons use the style "Lord (title)"; for example, Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, commonly known as "Lord Tennyson". Barons, in particular, are almost never referred to as anything but "Lord X". In the Peerage of Scotland, the members of the lowest level of the peerage have the title "Lord of Parliament" rather than "Baron".

Senior judges use the title "Lord":

• the Law Lords or "Lords of Appeal in Ordinary" who have the rank of life barons
• judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, known as "Lords Justices of Appeal"
• judges of the Scottish Court of Session, known as "Lords of Council and Session"

Senior Judges in many commonwealth countries and ex-British Colonies, use the title "Lord":

• Judges of the Supreme Court of India and the High Courts of India are known as "Lords" or "Lord Justices" or "Lordships"

Various high offices of state may carry the cachet of honorary lords: thus we find titles such as Lord High Chancellor or Lord Mayor.

Another English title, that of "Lord of the Manor", does not connote peerage and does not carry parliamentary rights. The title merely marks the holder as the owner of a manor who has certain local rights. The scottish title Laird is also often anglicised as Lord.

In the middle ages bishops were influential and powerful magnates who held the feudal rank of \'lord\'; thus even today the form of address "Lord Bishop" is still sometimes heard (particularly in Commonwealth countries) for Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops. Additionally, 26 bishops of the established Church of England hold seats in the UK House of Lords as "Lords Spiritual".

Feudalism

In feudalism, a Lord (French: seigneur) has aristocratic rank and has control over a portion of land and the produce and labor of the serfs living thereon. The serf would swear the oath of fealty to the Lord, or "keeper of the loaves". Such lords normally inherit their position and theoretically expect allegiance similar to that owed to a monarch.

As part of the heritage of feudalism, the word lord can generally refer to superiors of many kinds, e.g. "landlord". In many cultures in Europe the equivalent term serves as a general title of address equivalent to the English "Mister" (French Monsieur, Spanish Señor, Portuguese Senhor, Italian Signore, Dutch Meneer/Mijnheer/De Heer (as in: to de heer Joren Jansen), German Herr, Hungarian Úr, Greek Kyrie or to the English formal "you" (Polish Pan). Compare "gentleman".

Religion

People have often used the term "lord" in religious contexts.

In a religious context, The Lord refers to God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit, mainly by the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity). In many Christian Bibles (such as the King James Version), the Hebrew name YHWH (the Tetragrammaton) is rendered LORD (all caps) or LORD (small caps). This usage follows the Jewish practice of substituting the spoken Hebrew word "Adonai" (translated "Lord") for YHWH when read aloud. NASB (1995). "Preface to the New American Standard Bible". New American Standard Bible (Updated Edition). Anaheim, California: Foundation Publications (for the Lockman Foundation). Archived from the original on 2006-12-07. “There is yet another name which is particularly assigned to God as His special or proper name, that is, the four letters YHWH (Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 42:8). This name has not been pronounced by the Jews because of reverence for the great sacredness of the divine name. Therefore, it has been consistently translated LORD. The only exception to this translation of YHWH is when it occurs in immediate proximity to the word Lord, that is, Adonai. In that case it is regularly translated GOD in order to avoid confusion.” Christians refer to Jesus and God as "Lord."

Ba\'al, or Baal, is a Northwest Semitic title meaning "lord," used for various gods and local spirit-deities. In some texts, the term refers Hadad, the lord of the divine assembly whose name only priests were allowed to speak. References to Baal in the Hebrew Bible, such as the prophet Elijah\'s confrontation with Baal\'s priests, usually correspond to local gods rather than to Hadad.

The name of the god Adonis might derive from the word "lord."

In the Pagan religion Wicca, the male god is also referred to as "The Lord" and the female as "The Lady."

A "Dark Lord" is a title is usually used in religion and mythology to refer to the Devil and other demons, or evil gods. In Christian religion, "Dark Lord" refers to "Satan".

See also

References

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Endnotes

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