noun
fealty
FEE-uhl-tee
noun
1
Loyalty and formal obedience owed by a vassal to a feudal lord; more broadly, sworn faithfulness or allegiance.
"The knight swore fealty to the king before the entire court."
"Modern writers sometimes use "fealty" for intense loyalty to a cause or leader."
How to Use Fealty
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSworn loyalty, historically owed by a vassal to a lord.
When to use it
Formal and mostly historical or literary; rarely used in everyday speech.
Common pairings
swear fealty
pledge fealty to
Word Forms
fealties plural
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The knight swore _____ to the king before the entire court.
Etymology
From Old French feauté, ultimately from Latin fidelitas ("faithfulness") — a doublet of "fidelity".