Earl
Earl , noun
[Old English eorl, erl, Anglo-Saxon eorl man, noble; akin to Old Saxon erl boy, man, Icelandic jarl nobleman, count, and possibly to Greek {not transcribed} male, Zend arshan man. Compare Jarl.]
A nobleman of England ranking below a marquis, and above a viscount. The rank of an earl corresponds to that of a count (comte) in France, and graf in Germany. Hence the wife of an earl is still called countess. See Count.
Earl , noun
(Zoology) The needlefish. [Ireland]