Lannister

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A fictional wealthy and ambitious noble family from George R. R. Martin's fantasy novels and television adaptation ; a family name shared by people of English descent
2. The ruling house of a fictional kingdom in a fantasy saga, famed for its gold and political scheming ; a surname carried by various English-speaking families
3. A made-up dynasty of powerful nobles in a popular fantasy series ; an uncommon family name found among English-speaking people

Etymology: Lannister is the surname of the wealthy, scheming family in George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels and the HBO series "Game of Thrones," and it was built on an older English word. Martin has said he drew the name from "lanister," a Middle English word for a lancer or a lance-bearer, and the family's lion sigil and warrior heritage fit that origin. The name is therefore a coinage in the sense that Martin chose an existing English word and gave it a new bearer, not a word that developed through ordinary speech. The source lineage is plain. Middle English "lanister" came from Old French "lancier," meaning a man armed with a lance, itself derived from "lance." The French word reached English through the military vocabulary of the medieval period, which is why it describes a fighter rather than a household servant or a farmer. Martin's choice gives the name its sense of martial pride and rank. Readers who know the older word will hear the lance in the family name, even if the Lannisters themselves are more often remembered for their money and intrigue than for their battlefield prowess.