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landlord

Etymology and origin of the English word landlord

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
before 1000
Ultimate origin
Old English (land,hlāford)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English land
English landlord
English homeland

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈlænd.lɔːd/ (UK); /ˈlæn(d).lɔɹd/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is from English land + lord.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A lord or owner of land: before 1000 in the OED;[4] Etymonline has lond-lord, lord of a manor from whom land is held for rent or service, in the early 15th century, and as a surname in the late 13th.[2]

Semantic evolution

The sense widened over time to any owner of a building, anyone to whom a tenant pays rent.[2] The master of an inn is from before 1674,[4] and a host in private, chiefly Scots, from 1725.[4] Landlordism is a 19th-century word.[2]

Timeline

  • before 1000 – a landowner.[4]
  • late 13th century – as a surname.[2]
  • before 1674 – an innkeeper.[4]
  • 1725 – a host (Scots).[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person who owns land or buildings and rents them to tenants.
  2. A man who keeps an inn, pub or lodging house.
  3. (British, archaic) The lord of an estate.

Word family

  • landlordly
  • landlordry
  • landlordship
  • slumlord
  • landlordism

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Landlord.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/landlord. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·