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
- The quality of being loyal; faithfulness.
- A feeling of devotion or duty to a person, country or group.
Word family
- unloyalty
Related words
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
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press