Back to all words

Daimyo

2 stages from Japanese to English.

Today it means a powerful territorial lord of feudal Japan, subordinate to the shogun

Where does the word "daimyo" come from? It comes from Japanese daimyō, adopted directly into English (1800s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
daimyō
Japanese · medieval
"a powerful feudal lord"
literally 'great name', a title for feudal lords who ruled large domains
2
Stage 2 of 2
daimyo
English · 1800s
"a Japanese feudal lord ruling under the shogunate"
borrowed by Western historians writing about feudal Japan
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom