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Definition of Fealty
1. Noun. The loyalty that citizens owe to their country (or subjects to their sovereign).
Definition of Fealty
1. n. Fidelity to one's lord; the feudal obligation by which the tenant or vassal was bound to be faithful to his lord; the special oath by which this obligation was assumed; fidelity to a superior power, or to a government; loyality. It is no longer the practice to exact the performance of fealty, as a feudal obligation.
Definition of Fealty
1. Noun. Fidelity to one's lord; the feudal obligation by which the tenant or vassal was bound to be faithful to his lord; fidelity; allegiance; faithfulness. ¹
2. Noun. The oath by which this obligation was assumed. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Fealty
1. loyalty [n -TIES] - See also: loyalty
Medical Definition of Fealty
1. 1. Fidelity to one's lord; the feudal obligation by which the tenant or vassal was bound to be faithful to his lord; the special oath by which this obligation was assumed; fidelity to a superior power, or to a government; loyality. It is no longer the practice to exact the performance of fealty, as a feudal obligation. 2. Fidelity; constancy; faithfulness, as of a friend to a friend, or of a wife to her husband. "He should maintain fealty to God." (I. Taylor) "Makes wicked lightnings of her eyes, and saps The fealty of our friends." (tennyson) "Swore fealty to the new government." (Macaulay) Fealty is distinguished from homage, which is an acknowledgment of tenure, while fealty implies an oath. See Homage. Synonym: Homage, loyality, fidelity, constancy. Origin: OE. Faute, OF. Faute, fealte, feele, feelteit, fr. L. Fidelitas, fr. Fidelis faithful. See Feal, and cf. Fidelity. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Fealty
Literary usage of Fealty
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. Commentaries on the Laws of England by William Blackstone, William Carey Jones (1915)
"Besides an oath of fealty, or profession of faith to the lord, which was the
parent of our oath of allegiance, the vassal or tenant upon investiture did ..."
2. Littleton's Tenures in English by Thomas Littleton, Eugene Wambaugh (1903)
"fealty. § 91. fealty is the same that fidelitas is in Latin. And when a freeholder
doth fealty to his lord, he shall hold his right hand upon a book, ..."
3. Systematic Arrangement of Lord Coke's First Institute of the Laws of England by John Henry Thomas, Sir Thomas Littleton, Francis Hargrave, Heneage Finch Nottingham, Edward Coke, Matthew Hale (1836)
"AND there is great diversity between the doing of fealty and LITTLETON. of homage;
for homage cannot be done to any but to the lord " himself ; but the ..."
4. A Digest of the Laws of England Respecting Real Property by William Cruise, Henry Hopley White (1835)
"All tenants by knight service were also subject to fealty, which is thus ...
"And when a freeholder doth fealty, he shall hold his right hand upon a book, ..."
5. The First Part of the Institutes of the Laws of England: Or, A Commentary ...by Edward Coke, Thomas Littleton, Francis Hargrave, Charles Butler, Matthew Hale, Heneage Finch Nottingham by Edward Coke, Thomas Littleton, Francis Hargrave, Charles Butler, Matthew Hale, Heneage Finch Nottingham (1823)
"TN the same manner, where a man holds his ¡and by homage fealty and certaine rent,
... But there w/iere lands are holden by homage fealty and certaine rent, ..."
6. Calendar of the Close Rolls Preserved in the Public Record Office: Prepared by Public Record Office, Great Britain Public Record Office, Great Britain (1904)
"4if. yearly ; the fee and service of Alice, John's sister, who holds a messuage
and 8 acres of land by fealty and Qd. to free form, and worth 2s. ..."
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