vassal

Where does the word "vassal" come from? It comes from Gaulish gwas, passing through Medieval Latin before entering English (1300s).

Vassal’s story begins in Gaulish: gwas meant “servant, young man.” A Celtic word, related to Welsh 'gwas', servant or lad. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Medieval Latin as vassallus. Used in Frankish law for a man bound to a lord by an oath of loyalty. It reached English by 1300s as vassal. William the Conqueror made English landholders swear fealty as vassals at the Oath of Salisbury in 1086. Today, vassal means a person or country subordinate to another.

1. Stage 1 · Gaulish · ancient gwas "servant, young man", a Celtic word, related to Welsh 'gwas', servant or lad.
2. Stage 2 · Medieval Latin · medieval vassallus "retainer", used in Frankish law for a man bound to a lord by an oath of loyalty.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s vassal "a person holding land from a lord", William the Conqueror made English landholders swear fealty as vassals at the Oath of Salisbury in 1086.