Definition

Noun: 1. A feudal tenant's or vassal's sworn loyalty to a lord: A historical oath of fidelity and allegiance, involving obligations of service and protection, typically within the medieval European feudal system. 2. Faithful allegiance; steadfast fidelity: A formal or solemn loyalty and devotion, often implying a binding promise or duty.

Usage

• Fealty is primarily used in historical or formal contexts to describe a sworn bond of loyalty, especially within feudal relationships.
• It can be used metaphorically in modern contexts to emphasize an exceptionally strong, almost solemn, sense of loyalty or devotion to a person, cause, or principle.

Examples

1. Historical Context:

   • The vassal swore fealty to his liege lord, pledging military service in exchange for land and protection.
   • The ceremony of homage and fealty formalized the relationship between nobles.

2. Modern/Figurative Context:

   • The old soldier still felt a sense of fealty to his former commander.
   • She pledged her fealty to the cause of environmental justice.

Advanced Usage

• To swear/pledge/do fealty: To formally promise loyalty.
  • The knights gathered to swear fealty to the new king.
• To owe fealty: To be bound by duty to be loyal.
  • In feudal times, all tenants owed fealty to their overlord.

Variants and Related Words

• Fidelity (n): Faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support.
• Allegiance (n): Loyalty or commitment to a superior or to a group or cause.
• Homage (n): Special honor or respect shown publicly, often part of the feudal ceremony where fealty was sworn.

Synonyms

• Loyalty: The quality of being loyal.
• Fidelity: Faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief.
• Allegiance: Loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior or of an individual to a group or cause.
• Devotion: Love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause.

Antonyms

• Disloyalty: The quality of not being loyal to a person, country, or organization; faithlessness.
• Treachery: Betrayal of trust; deceptive action or nature.
• Perfidy: The state of being deceitful and untrustworthy.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• To pledge one's fealty: To solemnly promise one's loyalty. (This is a direct collocation rather than a common idiom).
  • The citizens pledged their fealty to the crown.

Noun

1. the loyalty that citizens owe to their country (or subjects to their sovereign)