lord means an interjection variously expressing astonishment, surprise, resignation. It carries an Arena rating of 1477, earned across 14 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, lord ranks #9,137 of 42,749 for Qualifying, #12,805 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #14,672 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #16,365 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
lord is pronounced /lɔːd/.
Why “lord” is a great word
An exclamation of astonishment, surprise, or weary resignation. From Old English hlāford ("master of a household, ruler"), itself a compound of hlāf ("loaf, bread") and weard ("keeper, guardian"), thus literally "loaf-ward" or "keeper of the bread"; in reference to the Abrahamic deity, it is a translation from the Vulgate Latin Dominus ("master, lord"), translating the Greek Κύριος (Kyrios, "lord"), both rendering Hebrew Adonai ("my lord"). Unlike "master," which implies control over people or a craft, or "ruler," which denotes sovereign power over a territory, "Lord" carries the full, weathered weight of feudal hierarchy and divine invocation. It is the sharp intake of breath at a sudden wonder, the muttered sigh over a spilled glass of wine, the last word whispered in a darkened pew—the humble recognition that one is in the presence of the keeper of the bread, the last refuge of speech when the world exceeds our vocabulary for it.
Etymology
See lord. In reference to the God of the Jewish Tanakh and Christian Bible, originally a translation (attested from the late Old English form hlāford) of the Vulgate Latin Dominus (“master of a house; lord”), translating the New Testament and the Septuagint's Ancient Greek ὁ κύριος or Κύριος (ó kýrios, "the supreme one; Lord, Kyrios"), both in reference to Hebrew אֲדֹנָי (ʾdny, "my lord; my Lord, Adonai") from אדון (ʾdwn, "lord, patron; Lord") + י- (-y, "my"), cognate with Phoenician 𐤀𐤃𐤍 (ʾdn, "lord; Lord, Adon"). Adonai appears in the Tanakh both directly and as a euphemism read aloud during occurrences of the Tetragrammaton יהוה (YHWH, "I Am that I Am; Jehovah"). See the usage notes below. Displaced the earlier term Drighten.
intj
- An interjection variously expressing astonishment, surprise, resignation.e.g.“O Lord I must laugh.” — c. 1595, William Shakespeare, The Comedie of Errors, published 1623, iii. i. 50:
name
- The Abrahamic deity of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths.e.g.“The breath of worldly men cannot depose
The Deputie elected by the Lord ...” — 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to th
- The Abrahamic deity of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths.; The God of Abraham and the Jewish scriptures.
- The Abrahamic deity of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths.; God the Father; the Godhead.e.g.“Some trust in charets, and some in horses: but wee will remember the Name of the Lord our God.” — 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 20:7:
- Jesus Christ, God the Son.
- Any other deity particularly important to a religion or a worshipper.e.g.“...and our Lord [the Horned God] as Master, Father, and Sage.” — 2002, A.J. Drew, Wicca for Couples: Making Magick Together, page 89:
- An English surname transferred from the nickname, originally a nickname for someone who either acted as if he were a lord or had worked in a lord's household.
- Typographical variant of Lord, particularly in English translations of the Bible.
noun
- The master of the servants of a household; (historical) the master of a feudal manor
- The master of the servants of a household; (historical) the master of a feudal manor; The male head of a household, a father or husband.e.g.“[…]thou worthie Lord,
Of that vnworthie wife that greeteth thee” — 1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto), London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], →OCLC:
- The master of the servants of a household; (historical) the master of a feudal manor; The owner of a house, piece of land, or other possessione.g.“A mightie Lord of Swine!” — ante''' 1637, Ben Jonson, Sad Shepherd, ii. i. 36
- One possessing similar mastery over others; (historical) any feudal superior generally; any nobleman or aristocrat; any chief, prince, or sovereign ruler; in Scotland, a male member of the lowest rank of nobility (the equivalent rank in England is baron)e.g.“It is a pytuouse case... whan subjectes rebell agaynst their naturall lorde.” — 1530, John Palsgrave, Lesclarcissement, 680/1:
- One possessing similar mastery over others; (historical) any feudal superior generally; any nobleman or aristocrat; any chief, prince, or sovereign ruler; in Scotland, a male member of the lowest rank of nobility (the equivalent rank in England is baron); A feudal tenant holding his manor directly of the king
- One possessing similar mastery over others; (historical) any feudal superior generally; any nobleman or aristocrat; any chief, prince, or sovereign ruler; in Scotland, a male member of the lowest rank of nobility (the equivalent rank in England is baron); A peer of the realm, particularly a temporal onee.g.“Men myghten lordis knowe” — ante''' 1420, T. Hoccleve, De Regimine Principum, 442
- One possessing similar mastery over others; (historical) any feudal superior generally; any nobleman or aristocrat; any chief, prince, or sovereign ruler; in Scotland, a male member of the lowest rank of nobility (the equivalent rank in England is baron); A baron or lesser nobleman, as opposed to greater onese.g.“1526, W. Bonde, Pylgrimage of Perfection, i. sig. Bviiiv
Farre excellyng the state of lordes, erles, dukes or kynges.”
- One possessing similar mastery in figurative senses (esp. as lord of ~)e.g.“O wityng bath god and ill Ȝee suld be lauerds at ȝour will.” — ante''' 1300, Cursor Mundi, 782
- One possessing similar mastery in figurative senses (esp. as lord of ~); A magnate of a trade or profession.e.g.“The Tobacco Lords were a group of Scottish merchants and slave traders who in the 18th century made enormous fortunes by trading in tobacco.”
- The heavenly body considered to possess a dominant influence over an event, time, etc.
- A hunchback.e.g.“Lord, a very crooked, deformed... Person.” — 1699, B.E., A new dictionary of the terms ancient and modern of the canting crew
- Sixpence.e.g.“Twenty years ago you might hear a sixpence described as a ‘Lord’ meaning ‘Lord of the Manor’; that is, a tanner.” — 1933 November 16, Times Literary Supplement, 782/1:
- A formal title of the lesser British nobility, used for a lord of the manor or Lord Proprietor.
- A generic title used in reference to any peer of the British nobility or any peer below the dignity of duke and (as a courtesy title) for the younger sons of dukes and marquesses (see usage note).e.g.“How do you do, Lord Darlington?” — 1892, Oscar Wilde, “Act I”, in Lady Windermere's Fan […] :
- Similar formal and generic titles in other countries.
- An additional title added to denote the dignity of certain high officials, such as the "Lord Mayors" of major cities in the British Commonwealth
- The elected president of a festival.
- A high priest.
verb
- To domineer or act like a lord.e.g.“The grisly toadstool grown there might I see, / And loathed paddocks lording on the same.” — 1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “December. Ægloga Duodecima.”, in The Shepheardes Calender: […], London: […] Iohn Wolfe for Iohn Harrison the yonger, […], →OCLC:
- To invest with the dignity, power, and privileges of a lord; to grant the title of lord.e.g.“He being thus lorded / Not only with what my revenue yielded, / But what my power might else exact, […] / he did believe / He was indeed the Duke” — c. 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, act 1, scene 2:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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