A feudal lord or ruler that a vassal owes loyalty to; a superior or superior court authority; can also mean 'loyal' or 'sovereign.'
From Old French 'liege,' possibly from Germanic roots meaning 'free' or 'loyal.' It became the term for the top of the feudal hierarchy—the lord you owed everything to.
Liege stayed in English specifically from the feudal system, which is why it sounds so medieval and formal—we keep using it for dramatic effect even though the actual feudal relationships it described disappeared 500+ years ago.
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