loyalty

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈlɔɪəlti/^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English loyaltee, borrowed from Old French loialté (“loyalty, fidelity; legitimacy; honesty”), lealté,^[2][3][4] from loial (see loyal), from Latin legalis.^[2] The earlier Middle English form was leaute (mid-13th century), from the older French form.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Faithful adherence to one's promise or oath: about 1400.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

Faithful adherence to the sovereign or lawful government is from 1531.^[5] Lawfulness, as of a marriage, is a rare obsolete sense of 1660.^[5] The American loyalty oath is attested by 1852.^[2][5] The Century Dictionary (1897), quoted in Etymonline, distinguishes allegiance, a matter of principle and conduct, from loyalty, which also implies feeling, enthusiasm and devotion.^[2] Brand loyalty and the loyalty card are commercial uses.^[3][4]

Timeline

• mid-13th century – leaute.^[2]
• c. 1400 – loyalty.^[5][2]
• 1531 – loyalty to the sovereign.^[5]
• 1852 – loyalty oath.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The quality of being loyal; faithfulness.
2. A feeling of devotion or duty to a person, country or group.

Word family

• unloyalty

Related words

• loyal
• loyalist
• legal
• fealty

Usage notes

According to the Century Dictionary, quoted by Etymonline, an oath of allegiance covers conduct only, while loyalty implies devotion as well.^[2]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press