"feal" meaning in Middle English

See feal in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /feːˈaːl/, /ˈfeːal/ Forms: feale [alternative], feall [alternative]
Etymology: Probably borrowed from Anglo-Norman feal (“faithful”), earlier fedeil, from Latin fidēlis; compare feaute. In Middle English, reinterpreted as fe (“fee”) + -al, influencing both the sense and form. Etymology templates: {{bor+|enm|xno|feal|nocap=1|t=faithful}} borrowed from Anglo-Norman feal (“faithful”), {{der|enm|la|fidēlis}} Latin fidēlis, {{af|enm|fe|-al|t1=fee}} fe (“fee”) + -al Head templates: {{head|enm|noun}} feal, {{tlb|enm|Early Scots|Scots law}} (Early Scots, Scots law)
  1. A stipend or allowance given to someone.
    Sense id: en-feal-enm-noun-i4stpqwA Categories (other): Early Scots, Middle English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with entries, Money, Scots law Disambiguation of Early Scots: 13 13 13 2 1 1 2 17 14 10 11 1 Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 15 14 12 2 2 3 4 18 9 11 10 0 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 10 10 9 0 1 1 1 21 24 11 12 0 Disambiguation of Money: 45 55 0 Disambiguation of Scots law: 52 40 8 Topics: law
  2. (rare) Ownership of land under feudalism. Tags: rare
    Sense id: en-feal-enm-noun-GwoRd6i4 Categories (other): Early Scots, Pages with entries, Feudalism, Money Disambiguation of Early Scots: 13 13 13 2 1 1 2 17 14 10 11 1 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 10 10 9 0 1 1 1 21 24 11 12 0 Disambiguation of Feudalism: 0 100 0 Disambiguation of Money: 45 55 0 Topics: law
  3. (rare) Fealty; feudal allegiance, fidelity, or loyalty. Tags: rare
    Sense id: en-feal-enm-noun-7-mSbvcr Topics: law

Alternative forms

{
  "descendants": [
    {
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "word": "feal"
        },
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "tags": [
            "obsolete"
          ],
          "word": "feele"
        },
        {
          "lang": "English",
          "lang_code": "en",
          "raw_tags": [
            "borrowed"
          ],
          "word": "feal"
        }
      ],
      "lang": "Middle Scots",
      "lang_code": "gmw-msc",
      "word": "feall"
    },
    {
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "word": "feal"
        },
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "tags": [
            "obsolete"
          ],
          "word": "feele"
        },
        {
          "lang": "English",
          "lang_code": "en",
          "raw_tags": [
            "borrowed"
          ],
          "word": "feal"
        }
      ],
      "lang": "Middle Scots",
      "lang_code": "gmw-msc",
      "word": "fiall"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "feal",
        "nocap": "1",
        "t": "faithful"
      },
      "expansion": "borrowed from Anglo-Norman feal (“faithful”)",
      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "fidēlis"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin fidēlis",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "fe",
        "3": "-al",
        "t1": "fee"
      },
      "expansion": "fe (“fee”) + -al",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Probably borrowed from Anglo-Norman feal (“faithful”), earlier fedeil, from Latin fidēlis; compare feaute.\nIn Middle English, reinterpreted as fe (“fee”) + -al, influencing both the sense and form.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "feale",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "feall",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "feal",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "Early Scots",
        "3": "Scots law"
      },
      "expansion": "(Early Scots, Scots law)",
      "name": "tlb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "13 13 13 2 1 1 2 17 14 10 11 1",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Early Scots",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "15 14 12 2 2 3 4 18 9 11 10 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 10 9 0 1 1 1 21 24 11 12 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 55 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Money",
          "orig": "enm:Money",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "52 40 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Scots law",
          "orig": "enm:Scots law",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A stipend or allowance given to someone."
      ],
      "id": "en-feal-enm-noun-i4stpqwA",
      "links": [
        [
          "stipend",
          "stipend"
        ],
        [
          "allowance",
          "allowance"
        ],
        [
          "someone",
          "someone"
        ]
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "13 13 13 2 1 1 2 17 14 10 11 1",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Early Scots",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 10 9 0 1 1 1 21 24 11 12 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "0 100 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Feudalism",
          "orig": "enm:Feudalism",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 55 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Money",
          "orig": "enm:Money",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Ownership of land under feudalism."
      ],
      "id": "en-feal-enm-noun-GwoRd6i4",
      "links": [
        [
          "Ownership",
          "ownership"
        ],
        [
          "land",
          "land"
        ],
        [
          "feudalism",
          "feudalism"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) Ownership of land under feudalism."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "Fealty; feudal allegiance, fidelity, or loyalty."
      ],
      "id": "en-feal-enm-noun-7-mSbvcr",
      "links": [
        [
          "Fealty",
          "fealty"
        ],
        [
          "allegiance",
          "allegiance"
        ],
        [
          "fidelity",
          "fidelity"
        ],
        [
          "loyalty",
          "loyalty"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) Fealty; feudal allegiance, fidelity, or loyalty."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/feːˈaːl/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfeːal/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "feal"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "Early Scots",
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English nouns",
    "Middle English terms borrowed from Anglo-Norman",
    "Middle English terms derived from Anglo-Norman",
    "Middle English terms derived from Latin",
    "Middle English terms suffixed with -al",
    "Pages with 3 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "enm:Feudalism",
    "enm:Money",
    "enm:Scots law"
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "word": "feal"
        },
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "tags": [
            "obsolete"
          ],
          "word": "feele"
        },
        {
          "lang": "English",
          "lang_code": "en",
          "raw_tags": [
            "borrowed"
          ],
          "word": "feal"
        }
      ],
      "lang": "Middle Scots",
      "lang_code": "gmw-msc",
      "word": "feall"
    },
    {
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "word": "feal"
        },
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "tags": [
            "obsolete"
          ],
          "word": "feele"
        },
        {
          "lang": "English",
          "lang_code": "en",
          "raw_tags": [
            "borrowed"
          ],
          "word": "feal"
        }
      ],
      "lang": "Middle Scots",
      "lang_code": "gmw-msc",
      "word": "fiall"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "feal",
        "nocap": "1",
        "t": "faithful"
      },
      "expansion": "borrowed from Anglo-Norman feal (“faithful”)",
      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "fidēlis"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin fidēlis",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "fe",
        "3": "-al",
        "t1": "fee"
      },
      "expansion": "fe (“fee”) + -al",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Probably borrowed from Anglo-Norman feal (“faithful”), earlier fedeil, from Latin fidēlis; compare feaute.\nIn Middle English, reinterpreted as fe (“fee”) + -al, influencing both the sense and form.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "feale",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "feall",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "feal",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "Early Scots",
        "3": "Scots law"
      },
      "expansion": "(Early Scots, Scots law)",
      "name": "tlb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A stipend or allowance given to someone."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "stipend",
          "stipend"
        ],
        [
          "allowance",
          "allowance"
        ],
        [
          "someone",
          "someone"
        ]
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with rare senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Ownership of land under feudalism."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Ownership",
          "ownership"
        ],
        [
          "land",
          "land"
        ],
        [
          "feudalism",
          "feudalism"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) Ownership of land under feudalism."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with rare senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Fealty; feudal allegiance, fidelity, or loyalty."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Fealty",
          "fealty"
        ],
        [
          "allegiance",
          "allegiance"
        ],
        [
          "fidelity",
          "fidelity"
        ],
        [
          "loyalty",
          "loyalty"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) Fealty; feudal allegiance, fidelity, or loyalty."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/feːˈaːl/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfeːal/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "feal"
}

Download raw JSONL data for feal meaning in Middle English (2.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-01-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-01-01 using wiktextract (96027d6 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.