Liege
Liege (lēj) , adjective
[Old English lige, lege, French lige, Late Latin ligius, legius, liege, unlimited, complete, prob. of German origin; compare German ledig free from bonds and obstacles, Middle High German ledec, ledic, lidic, freed, loosed, and Charta Ottonis de Benthem, ann. 1253, “ligius homo quod Teutonicè dicitur ledigman,” that is, uni soli homagio obligatus, free from all obligations to others; influenced by Latin ligare to bind. German ledig perh. orig. meant, free to go where one pleases, and is perh. akin to English lead to conduct. Compare Lead to guide.]
1.
Sovereign; independent; having authority or right to allegiance; as, a liege lord.
ligius homo quod Teutonicè dicitur ledigman,
She looked as grand as doomsday and as grave;
And he, he reverenced his liege lady there.
2.
serving an independent sovereign or master; bound by a feudal tenure; obliged to be faithful and loyal to a superior, as a vassal to his lord; faithful; loyal; as, a liege man; a liege subject.
3.
(Old Law) Full; perfect; complete; pure. — Burrill
Collocations (3)
Liege homage (Feudal Custom) , that homage of one sovereign or prince to another which acknowledged an obligation of fealty and services.
Liege poustie (Scots Law) , perfect, i. e., legal, power; specif., having health requisite to do legal acts.
Liege widowhood , perfect, i. e., pure, widowhood. [Obsolete]
Liege (lēj) , noun
1.
A free and independent person; specif., a lord paramount; a sovereign. — Mrs. Browning
The anointed sovereign of sighs and groans,
Liege of all loiterers and malcontents.
2.
The subject of a sovereign or lord; a liegeman.
A liege lord seems to have been a lord of a free band; and his lieges, though serving under him, were privileged men, free from all other obligations, their name being due to their freedom, not to their service.