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{{Redirect6|Lordship|the neighborhood in [[Stratford, Connecticut]]|Lordship (Stratford)||Lord (disambiguation)}}
[[Image:Elizabeth II greets NASA GSFC employees, May 8, 2007 edit.jpg|180px|thumb|right|[[Lord of Mann|Queen Elizabeth II, Lord of Mann]]]]
{{wiktionarypar|lord}}
'''"Lord"''' is a title with various meanings. It can denote a [[Prince#Prince_as_a_generic_word_for_ruler|prince]] or a [[Examples of feudalism|feudal superior]] (especially a feudal tenant who holds directly from the king, i.e., a [[baron]]). The title today is mostly used in connection with the [[peerage of the United Kingdom]] or its constituent countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it '[[Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom|by courtesy]]'. The title may also be used in conjunction with others to denote a superior holder of an otherwise generic title, in such combinations as "[[Lord Mayor]]" or "[[Lord Chief Justice]]". The title is primarily taken by men, while women will usually take the title '[[lady]]'. However, this is not universal, as the [[Lord of Mann]] and female Lord Mayors are examples of women who are styled 'lord'.
In religious contexts Lord can also refer to various different gods or deities. The earliest uses of Lord in the [[English language]] in a religious context were by [[England|English]] Bible translators such as [[Bede]]. This reflected the [[Jewish]] practice of substituting the spoken Hebrew word '[[Names of God in Judaism#Adonai|Adonai]]' (which means 'My Lord') for [[tetragrammaton|YHWH]] when read aloud.
According to the [[Oxford Dictionary of English]], the [[etymology]] of the word can be traced back to the [[Old English language|Old English]] word 'hlāford' which originated from 'hlāfweard' meaning 'bread keeper' or 'loaf-ward', reflecting the [[Germanic tribes|Germanic]] tribal custom of a superior providing food for his followers.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition (Revised 2005), p.1036</ref> Lady, the female equivalent, originates from a similar structure, believed to have originally meant 'loaf-kneader'.
==Title==
===Peerage===
{{See Also|Peerage of the United Kingdom}}
Five ranks of [[peerage|peer]] exist in the [[United Kingdom]], in descending order, these are: [[duke]], [[marquess]], [[earl]], [[viscount]], and [[baron]]. The title 'Lord' is used most often by barons who are rarely addressed with any other. The style of this address is 'Lord (X)', for example, [[Alfred Tennyson|Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson]], is commonly known as 'Lord Tennyson'. The ranks of marquess, earl and viscounts commonly use lord as well, with viscounts using the same style as used for baron. However, marquesses and earls have a slightly different form of address were they can be called either the 'Marquess/Earl of (X)' or 'Lord (X)'. Dukes also use the style, 'Duke of (X)', but it is not acceptable to refer to them as 'Lord (X)'. Dukes are formally addressed as 'Your Grace', rather than 'My Lord'. In the [[Peerage of Scotland]], the members of the lowest level of the peerage have the title '[[Lord of Parliament]]' rather than baron.
For senior members of the peerage, the title lord also applies by [[courtesy title|courtesy]] to some or all of their children; for example the younger sons of dukes and marquesses can use the style 'Lord (first name) (surname)'. The titles are [[courtesy title]]s in that the holder does not hold a peerage, and is, according to [[Law of the United Kingdom|British law]], a [[commoner]].
===House of Lords===
[[Image:House of Lords2.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Chamber of the [[House of Lords]]]]
In the UK, the [[House of Lords]] (known commonly as 'the Lords') forms the [[upper house]] of [[Parliament]]. Here all peers are treated as lords but there are three different classifications:
* Most lords who hold peerages created before the passage of the [[Life Peerages Act 1958]] (and a handful who hold peerages created after then) are '''[[hereditary peers]]''', who until 1999 constituted the most numerous category of lords sitting in the House. There are in excess of 700 lords whose titles may be inherited, however since the [[House of Lords Act 1999]], they are no longer guaranteed a seat in the Lords and instead must take part in an election for a total of ninety-two seats. All male peers of [[Peerage of England|England]], [[Peerage of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and the [[Peerage of the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]] were before 1999 entitled to sit in the House of Lords by virtue of their title. Peeresses were [[Peerage Act 1963|granted the right to sit]] in 1963. Peers of Scotland and Ireland, however, historically had limitations on their right to sit at Westminster. Between 1707 and 1963, [[Peerage of Scotland|Scottish peers]] participated in elections to determine which of them would take the sixteen seats allocated to them. Elections were [[Peerage Act 1963|abolished]] in 1963, and from that time until 1999 all Scottish peers and peeresses were entitled to sit. [[Peerage of Ireland|Irish peers]] participated in similar elections between 1801 and 1922, when the [[Irish Free State]] was established. Since 1922, Irish peers have not had a right to sit at Westminster by virtue of their Irish peerages. However, many Irish peers also hold peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom.
* The importance of hereditary lords has declined steadily following the increase in the appointment of '''[[life peers]]'''. These peers are entitled to sit in the House of Lords for the duration of their life, but cannot transfer their titles to their heirs. They are rarely above the rank of baron. The first life peers were appointed to assist the House of Lords in exercising its [[judicial functions of the House of Lords|judicial functions]] under the [[Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876]]. Widespread appointment of life peers was enabled by the passage of the [[Life Peerages Act 1958]]. Since that Act was passed, some 1,086 life peers have been created. The only hereditary privilege associated with life peerages is that children of life peers are entitled to style themselves '[[The Honourable]] (firstname) (surname)'.
* These first two groups are collectively termed [[Lords Temporal]] as opposed to the third type of lord sitting in the House known as '''[[Spiritual Peers]]''' or Lords Spiritual. This group consists of twenty-six [[Church of England]] bishops who are appointed in order of superiority. Unlike Lords Temporal, who can be appointed from any of the four nations of the UK, only bishops with English Sees are eligible to sit in the Chamber. Bishops of the [[Church of Scotland]] traditionally sat in the [[Parliament of Scotland]] but were excluded in 1638 following the [[Scottish Reformation]]. There are no longer [[bishops in the Church of Scotland]] in the traditional sense of the word, and that Church has never sent members to sit in the Westminster House of Lords. The [[Church of Ireland]] ceased to send bishops to sit after [[Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland|disestablishment]] in 1871. The [[Church in Wales]] ceased to be a part of the Church of England in 1920 and was simultaneously [[Disestablishment of the Church in Wales|disestablished]] in Wales. Accordingly, bishops of the Church in Wales were no longer eligible to be appointed to the House as bishops of the Church of England.
===Judiciary===
The judges of the House of Lords, the final appellate Court of the United Kingdom, hold life peerages, and are addressed accordingly. They are known collectively as the [[Law Lords]]. The title 'Lord' is also used to refer to some judges who are not peers in some Commonwealth legal systems. Some such judges, for instance judges of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, are called 'Lords Justices', or 'Ladies Justices', as the case may be. Other such judges, for instance judges of Canadian provincial supreme courts, are known only as 'Justices' but are addressed in court as 'My Lord' or 'My Lady' or 'Your Lordship' or 'Your Ladyship'.
Examples of judges who use the title include:
* 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'.
* Judges of the [[Supreme Court of India]] and the [[High Courts of India]].
===Lord of the Manor===
{{See Also|Lord of the Manor}}
The title of '''Lord of the Manor''' arose in the [[England|English]] medieval system of [[Manorialism]] following the [[Norman Conquest]]. The title ''Lord of the Manor'' is a titular feudal dignity which is still recognised today. Their holders are entitled to call themselves "[Personal name], The Lord/Lady of the Manor of [Place name]" but, for example, the [[United Kingdom Passport Agency]] does not recognise such titles. The title is not a title of the [[nobility]].
===Laird===
{{See Also|Laird}}
The Scottish title Laird is cognate with the English word 'lord'. 'Laird' is a [[hereditary title]] for the owner of a landed estate in [[Scotland]]. The title of Laird may carry certain local or [[feudal]] rights, though unlike a [[Lord of Parliament|Lordship]], a Lairdship has never carried voting rights, either in the historic [[Parliament of Scotland]] or, after unification with the [[Kingdom of England]], in the [[Great Britain|British]] [[House of Lords]].
===Other===
Various high offices of state may carry the cachet of honorary lords, such as the titles of [[Lord High Chancellor]] or [[Lord Mayor]].
==Feudalism==
In [[feudalism]], a lord has [[aristocracy|aristocratic]] rank, has control over a portion of land and the produce and labour of the [[serf]]s living thereon. The serf would swear the [[oath]] of [[fealty]] to the lord, and would then become a [[vassal]].
Bishops in the Middle Ages held the feudal rank of lord over their spiritual inferiors, hence today even bishops who do not sit as [[Spiritual Peers]] may be addressed as "Lord Bishop". As a reflection of its feudal (and thus territorial) nature, however, the title is generally reserved for [[diocesan bishop]]s, not [[assistant bishop|assistant]] or [[coadjutor bishop]]s.
As part of the heritage of feudalism, lord can generally refer to superiors of many kinds, for example [[landlord]]. In many cultures in Europe the equivalent term serves as a general title of address equivalent to the [[English language|English]] 'Mister' ([[French language|French]] ''Monsieur'', [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''Señor'', [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] ''[[Senhor]]'', [[Italian language|Italian]] ''Signore'', [[Dutch language|Dutch]] ''Meneer/Mijnheer/De Heer (as in: to de heer Joren Jansen)'', [[German language|German]] ''Herr'', [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] ''Úr'', [[Greek language|Greek]] ''[[Kyrie]]'' or to the English formal "you" ([[Polish language|Polish]] ''Pan''). See also [[gentleman]].
==Religion== <!--[[The LORD]] REDIRECTS HERE -->
People have often used the term 'lord' in religious contexts, where, '''The Lord''' refers to [[God]] in [[Judaism]] or [[Islam]], or to [[God]], [[Jesus]], or the [[Holy Spirit]] in [[Christianity]]. In many [[Christian]] [[Bible]]s (such as the [[King James Version]]), the [[Hebrew]] name [[Yahweh|YHWH]] (the Tetragrammaton) is rendered '''LORD''' ([[all caps]]) or '''{{LORD}}''' ([[small caps]]). This usage follows the [[Jewish]] practice of substituting the spoken Hebrew word '[[Names of God in Judaism#Adonai|Adonai]]' (translated as 'Lord') for YHWH when read aloud.<ref
>
{{Cite web
| author = NASB
| date = 1995
| title = <U>"Preface to the New American Standard Bible"</U>
| work = [[New American Standard Bible]] (Updated Edition)
| publisher = [[Anaheim, California]]: Foundation Publications (for the [[Lockman Foundation]])
| url = http://www.bible-researcher.com/nasb-preface.html
| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20061207004013/http://www.bible-researcher.com/nasb-preface.html
| archivedate = 2006-12-07 <!--LATEST "site was updated" ARCHIVE -->
| quote = 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.
}}
</ref>
Other religious uses of the word Lord include:
*[[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 to [[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.
*[[Bel (god)|Bel]] meaning 'Lord' is a common title of the Babylonian deity [[Marduk]].
*[[EN (cuneiform)|En]] meaning 'Lord' as in Sumerian deities [[Enki]] and [[Enlil]].
*In [[Buddhism]] it refers to the [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] and in [[Jainism]] to the [[Mahavira]].
*The name of the god [[Adonis]] may derive from the Hebrew word for '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]]".{{fact|date=July 2008}}
==See also==
{{Col-begin}} {{Col-2}}
* [[Styles in the United Kingdom]]
* [[Lord Bishop]]
* [[Lord Chamberlain]]
* [[Lord Chancellor]]
* [[Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales]]
* [[Lord Commissioner of Justiciary]]
* [[Lord of Council and Session]]
* [[Lord High Admiral]]
* [[Lord High Constable]]
* [[Lord High Treasurer]]
* [[Lord Justice Clerk]]
* [[Lord of Parliament]]
* [[Lord President of the Council]]
* [[Lord President of the Court of Session]]
* [[Lord Privy Seal]]
* [[Lord Rector]]
{{Col-2}}
* [[Lord Mayor]]
* [[Overlord]]
* [[Peerage]]
* [[Duke]]
* [[Marquess]]
* [[Earl]]
* [[Viscount]]
* [[Baron]]
* [[Lord of Parliament]]
* [[Laird]]
* [[Lord of the Manor]]
{{Col-end}}
==References==
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[[Category:Titles]]
[[Category:Men's social titles]]
[[Category:Noble titles]]
[[Category:Feudalism]]
[[Category:Biblical phrases]]
[[Category:Names of God]]
[[Category:Deities in the Hebrew Bible]]
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