Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Laird

//lɛːd// name, noun, verb

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.
  2. 2
    A place in Canada:; A township and village in Algoma District, northern Ontario.
  3. 3
    A place in Canada:; A rural municipality, the Rural Municipality of Laird No. 404, in central Saskatchewan.
  4. 4
    A place in Canada:; A village within the rural municipality in Saskatchewan, named after David Laird.
  5. 5
    A place in the United States:; A census-designated place in Yuma County, Colorado.
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    A place in the United States:; A township in Houghton County, Michigan.
  2. 7
    A place in the United States:; A township in Phelps County, Nebraska.
Noun
  1. 1
    A feudal lord in Scottish contexts. historical
  2. 2
    a landowner wordnet
  3. 3
    An aristocrat, particularly in Scottish contexts and in reference to the chiefs of the Scottish clans. Scotland

    "Now Wiſe, and Rich, and Worthie, and Wonderful, and Faithful and True, and Rare, & Charitable, and Great Laird of Carnwath, Be not Prowd, altho I Commend you at ſuch a Rate behind your back and yet never ſaw You..."

  4. 4
    A landowner, particularly in Scottish contexts. Scotland

    "In Scotland, the traditional term for the owner of an upland estate is the ‘laird’. [...] Well into the post-war period, the lairds of large estates were generally treated deferentially by local people but times have changed, [...] It would be a mistake to equate the title ‘laird’ to a British ‘lord’, as it does not confer any political standing, but the fact that some of Scotland’s lairds sit in the House of Lords can confuse the outsider."

Verb
  1. 1
    Chiefly as laird it over: to behave like a laird, particularly to act haughtily or to domineer; to lord (it over). Scotland, transitive

    "But cauld was his hearth ere his youdith was o'er, / An' he delved on the lands he had lairded before; / Yet though he beggared his ha' an' deserted his lea, / Contented he roamed on the banks o' the Dee."

Etymology

Etymology 1

The noun is borrowed from Scots laird, from northern or Scottish Middle English lard, laverd, a variant of lord. The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of hlaford and lord.

Etymology 2

The noun is borrowed from Scots laird, from northern or Scottish Middle English lard, laverd, a variant of lord. The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of hlaford and lord.

See also for "laird"

Synonyms Antonyms Rhymes Sentences Translate Word Type Pronunciation Word Forms

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: laird