from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- n. A British nobleman next in rank above a viscount and below a marquis, corresponding to a count in continental Europe.
- n. Used as a title for such a nobleman.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- n. A British nobleman next in rank above a viscount and below a marquess; equivalent to a European count. A female using the style is termed a countess.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- n. A nobleman of England ranking below a marquis, and above a viscount. The rank of an earl corresponds to that of a count (comte) in France, and graf in Germany. Hence the wife of an earl is still called countess. See count.
- n. The needlefish.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A British title of nobility designating a nobleman of the third rank, being that next below a marquis and next above a viscount.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a viscount
May 10, 2005 at 11: 22 AM earl is that way - only with guitars - we have guitars everywhere ...
And then she called the earl a number of names that Pearson had never before heard uttered by a lady … and he was using that term in its loosest vernacular.
Intolerable enough, perhaps, to drive title earl to another sort of revenge.
The earl is pursuing him now, not only as his daughter's seducer, but as a swindler and a thief.
Even your name, too-generous earl, is in the horrid catalogue.
"I wished to learn its most pregnable part," replied Edwin, his young heart beating with triumph at these encomiums from his commander; "and particularly where the good earl is confined that we might make our attack directly to the point."
In pursuance of his usurping commission, the earl is now marching rapidly towards the Lothians, in the hope of intercepting you in your progress.
Her own instincts told her that the earl was a complex individual, formed by a tragedy and by the isolation of his home.
Would Mr. Hay stay here if the earl were an evil man?
The earl is a quiet man, but he has a quick temper.