What does overlord mean?
Definitions for overlord
ˈoʊ vərˌlɔrdover·lord
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word overlord.
Princeton's WordNet
overlord, master, lordnoun
a person who has general authority over others
Wiktionary
overlordnoun
A ruler of other rulers.
The various tribal chieftains met each spring to elect an overlord that would lead them in time of war.
overlordnoun
Anyone with overarching power or authority in a given domain.
The crusty old professor was overlord of the history department, and few dared to cross his will.
Etymology: over- + lord
Wikipedia
Overlord
An overlord in the English feudal system was a lord of a manor who had subinfeudated a particular manor, estate or fee, to a tenant. The tenant thenceforth owed to the overlord one of a variety of services, usually military service or serjeanty, depending on which form of tenure (i.e. feudal tenancy contract) the estate was held under. The highest overlord of all, or paramount lord, was the monarch, who due to his ancestor William the Conqueror's personal conquest of the Kingdom of England, owned by inheritance from him all the land in England under allodial title and had no superior overlord, "holding from God and his sword", although certain monarchs, notably King John (1199–1216) purported to grant the Kingdom of England to Pope Innocent III, who would thus have become overlord to English monarchs. A paramount lord may then be seen to occupy the apex of the feudal pyramid, or the root of the feudal tree, and such allodial title is also termed "radical title" (from Latin radix, root), "ultimate title" and "final title". William the Conqueror immediately set about granting tenancies on his newly won lands, in accordance with feudal principles. The monarch's immediate tenants were the tenants-in-chief, usually military magnates, who held the highest status in feudal society below the monarch. The tenants-in-chief usually held multiple manors or other estates from the monarch, often as feudal barons (or "barons by tenure") who owed their royal overlord an enhanced and onerous form of military service, and subinfeudated most to tenants, generally their own knights or military followers, keeping only a few in demesne. This created a mesne lord – tenant relationship. The knights in turn subinfeudated to their own tenants, creating a further subsidiary mesne lord – tenant relationship. Over the centuries for any single estate the process was in practice repeated numerous times. In early times, following the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 and the establishment of feudalism, land was usually transferred by subinfeudation, rarely by alienation (i.e. sale), which latter in the case of tenants-in-chief required royal licence, and the holder of an estate at any particular time, in order to gain secure tenure, and if challenged by another claimant, needed to prove "devolution of title" evidenced by legal deeds or muniments back up the chain of subinfeudations to a holder whose title was beyond doubt, for example one who had received the estate as a grant by royal charter witnessed and sealed by substantial persons. Although feudal land tenure in England was abolished by the Tenures Abolition Act 1660, in modern English conveyancing law the need to prove devolution of title persisted until recent times, due to a "legal fiction" (grounded in reality) that all land titles were held by the monarch's subjects as a result of a royal grant. Proving devolution of title is no longer necessary since the creation of the land registry. There is a requirement to compulsorily register all land transactions on this governmental record, which registration provides a virtually unchallengeable and perfectly secure title of ownership.
ChatGPT
overlord
An overlord is a person who has extensive authority, control, or power over others. This term is often used to describe a ruler or sovereign who exercises control over smaller states, territories, or people, which are required to pay tribute, provide certain services, or submit to the overlord's authority in some way. This can be applicable in a variety of contexts including historical, political, cultural, or even fictional.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Overlord
ō-vėr-lawrd′, n. a lord over other lords: a feudal superior.—n. Overlord′ship.
Matched Categories
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of overlord in Chaldean Numerology is: 9
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of overlord in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1
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Translations for overlord
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"overlord." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 24 Oct. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/overlord>.
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