Feudalities

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A system of land ownership and duties where peasants work for nobility in exchange for protection and service
2. The socio-economic framework characterized by lords granting land to vassals in return for military service and labor
3. A hierarchical structure of medieval society involving obligations and rights concerning land use and service among different social classes

Etymology: "Feudalities" is the plural of "feudality," a noun formed from "feudal" plus the suffix "-ity," which turns an adjective into a noun of state or quality. The plural form, referring to several distinct feudal systems or arrangements, is rare and mostly appears in historical writing. The base adjective "feudal" traces back to Medieval Latin "feodalis," derived from "feudum," a fief or land held in return for service. That Latin "feudum" is itself thought to come from a Germanic source, probably related to Old High German "fehu" (cattle or property) and the idea of movable wealth, which fits the early sense of a grant of livestock or goods before it came to mean land. The Latin base reached English through French, and "feudal" entered English in the 1600s, with "feudality" following a little later.

Synonyms: obligations, duties