Etymologically
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landlord

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 15:53. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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