fealty
noun
Nicholas Dawidoff
Did you know?
In The Use of Law, published posthumously in 1629, Francis Bacon wrote, “Fealty is to take an oath upon a book, that he will be a faithful Tenant to the King.” That’s a pretty accurate summary of the early meaning of fealty. Early forms of the term were used in Middle English in the early 14th century, when they specifically designated the loyalty of a vassal to a lord. Eventually, the meaning of the word broadened. Fealty can be paid to a country, a principle, or a leader of any kind, though the synonyms fidelity and loyalty are more commonly used. Fealty comes from the Anglo-French word feelté, or fealté, which comes from the Latin noun fidēlitās, meaning “fidelity.” These words come ultimately from fidēs, the Latin word for “faith.”
Synonyms
Examples of fealty in a Sentence
Sean Holstege, The Arizona Republic, 30 July 2024
During his remarks, which lasted around 40 minutes, Clinton said if elected again, Trump would only select cabinet members who demonstrated fealty to him.
—Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 30 Oct. 2024
Republican leaders, confronted with the unravelling of their own nominee, have only reaffirmed their fealty.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024
And what room is left in the Republican Party for someone pledging less than 100% fealty to Trump and rejecting his orthodoxy on issues such as green energy and election denial?
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Fealty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fealty. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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