Lord

In feudalism, a lord (French: seigneur) is an aristocrat who claims dominion over a portion of land and the produce and labour of the serfs living thereon. They are normally hereditary and owed similar allegiance to the monarch.

In the United Kingdom, the hereditary lords were until recent years members of the House of Lords, the upper house of Parliament. There are five ranks of lord, namely Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. The title is also applied by courtesy to some of their children, who do not hold titles of their own; and it also applies to some of the most senior judges. Yet another English title is lord of the manor[?], which was none of the above and did not carry parliamentary rights.

The etymology of the English word "lord" goes back to Old English hlaf-weard (loaf-guardian) -- reflecting the Dark Age duty of a superior to provide food for his followers. The female equivalent is Lady[?], which might come from words meaning loaf-kneader.

"The Lord" (Hebrew Adonai, Greek Kyrios, Latin Dominus) is an epithet of Yahweh, the God of the Jews and Christians.

"Our Lord" is also used as a name for Christ by Christians.

"Lord" is also a term used for the male God in Neopaganism.