vassal

noun

vas·​sal ˈva-səl 

1

: a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he has vowed homage and fealty : a feudal tenant

2

: one in a subservient or subordinate position

vassal adjective

Examples of vassal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After all, a continued Russian military could help prevent Syria from becoming a wholly powerless vassal state of Turkey. —Paul Iddon, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025

That would be a higher gross domestic product share than Germany’s reparations after World War I and leave Ukraine a vassal state. —Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2025

Georgian protesters voice worries that their country might become a Russian vassal, like Belarus. —Anthony Borden, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025

The war was supposed to stop this movement and bring Ukraine back securely into vassal status, whether formally reincorporated into Russia proper or nominally independent with a puppet government in Kyiv beholden to Moscow. —Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin vassallus "serf of the manor house, household servant, lord's man who has received a fief," borrowed from Gaulish *wassall-, derivative of *wass- "servant" (whence Medieval Latin vassus "serf, servant, holder of a fief"), going back to Celtic *wosto-, whence Welsh gwas "boy, servant," Middle Breton goas, Old Irish foss "servant, attendant"

Note: Celtic *wasto- is generally taken to continue Indo-European *upo-sth₂-o- "one who stands under," which may be correct if Gaulish *wass- shares with British Celtic unrounding of o in this position.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for vassal

• castle
• facile
• gracile
• hassall
• hassle
• passel
• tassel
• fluorouracil
• thiouracil
• forecastle
• uracil
• propylthiouracil

Kids Definition

vassal

noun

vas·​sal ˈvas-əl 

: a person in the Middle Ages who received protection and land from a lord in return for loyalty and service