English

Alternative forms

• vasal (rare)

Noun

vassal ‎(plural vassals)

1. (historical) The grantee of a fief, feud, or fee; one who keeps land of a superior, and who vows fidelity and homage to him, normally a lord of a manor; a feudatory; a feudal tenant.
2. A subject; a dependant; a servant; a slave.
   • Milton

     The vassals of his anger.

Related terms

• valet
• varlet

Translations

Adjective

vassal ‎(not comparable)

1. Resembling a vassal; slavish; servile.

Translations

Verb

vassal ‎(third-person singular simple present vassals, present participle vassalling, simple past and past participle vassalled)

1. (transitive) To treat as a vassal or to reduce to the position of a vassal; to subject to control; to enslave.
2. (transitive) To subordinate to someone or something.

Translations

Anagrams

• slavas
• vasals

French

Etymology

From Old French vassal, from Medieval Latin vassallus ‎(“manservant, domestic, retainer”), from vassus ‎(“servant”), from Gaulish *wassos ‎(“young man, squire”), from Proto-Celtic *wastos ‎(“servant”) (compare Old Irish foss and Welsh gwas).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /va.sal/

Adjective

vassal m ‎(feminine singular vassale, masculine plural vassaux, feminine plural vassales)

1. vassal

Noun

vassal m ‎(plural vassaux, feminine vassale)

1. a vassal

Anagrams

• valsas

Hungarian

Etymology

vas +‎ -val

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈvɒʃːɒl]
• Hyphenation: vas‧sal

Noun

vassal

1. instrumental singular of vas

Old French

Noun

vassal m ‎(oblique plural vassaus or vassax or vassals, nominative singular vassaus or vassax or vassals, nominative plural vassal)

1. vassal

Descendants

• English: vassal (rare)
• French: vassal
• Norman: vassa (Jersey)