fealty
noun/ˈfiː.əlti/ · /ˈfiːlti/
Etymology Inherited from Middle English feaute, feute, from Anglo-Norman fëauté, fëuté, from Latin fidēlitās (“faithfulness”; “homage, fealty” in Medieval Latin), from fidēlis (“faithful”) + -tās (noun suffix); the modern form (for expected *feauty /ˈfjuːti/) is due to learned influence. Equivalent to obsolete feal + -ty. Doublet of fidelity.
1
Fidelity to one's lord or master; the feudal obligation by which the tenant or vassal was bound to be faithful to his lord.
- I doubt whether the most devoted fidelity would bear strict examination as to the short reposes even the most entire fealty permits itself.1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VI, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 111:
- Ordo Malleus Inquisitor: In fealty to the God-Emperor, our Undying Lord, and by the grace of the Golden Throne, I declare exterminatus upon the Imperial world of Typhon Primaris.2011, Relic Entertainment, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution, scene: Exterminatus declared on Typhon Primaris:
4 more examples
- And yet the war has come, full of double-crossing, internecine accusations of lying and incompetence, and a bitter cleavage into factions over the question of how much fealty should be shown to President Trump — and the extent to which Republicans should amplify his false argument that the election in this fast-changing Southern state was stolen from him.2020 November 18, Richard Fausset, Jonathan Martin, “In Georgia, a Republican Feud With Trump at the Center”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
- In one recent video, he said the problem posed by a Russian military led by people who demand nothing but blind fealty would need to be dealt with — “or one day the Russian people will solve it themselves.”2023 May 16, Paul Sonne, Anton Troianovski, “As Ukrainian Attack Looms, Putin Faces Setbacks and Disunity in Russian Forces”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
- I think the central characteristic Trump seems to be looking for in all of the appointees we’ve seen so far is fealty to him.2025 January 27, Cameron Joseph, quoting John Bolton, “John Bolton says he’s faced Trump’s retribution. He worries what Kash Patel might do.”, in The Christian Science Monitor, Boston, Massachusetts: Christian Science Publishing Society, →ISSN, →OCLC:
- But [Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington] says there’s a growing sense that what Mr. Trump really wants is unquestioned fealty – and that, he says, is not going to happen.2026 April 5, Howard LaFranchi, “Trump’s war in Iran puts new strain on alliances. Why this time it’s different.”, in The Christian Science Monitor, Boston, Massachusetts: Christian Science Publishing Society, →ISSN, →OCLC:
- Related terms
- fidelity