Word
peerage
Phoneticspeer·age
US/ˈpɪɹədʒ/
UK/pˈiəɹɪdʒ/
Definition
n. the group of people who have high social or political rank, like lords and ladies in the UK. It can also mean the process of being judged by people of the same rank.
n. the body of persons holding a title of nobility, such as a lord or lady. In a legal context, it refers to the right of a person of high rank to be tried by their equals.
Examples
“He was granted a title and entered the peerage.”
“The new legislation was debated in the House of Lords, a key part of the British peerage.”
“While the modern peerage has lost much of its political power, it remains a significant symbol of the country's historical social hierarchy and legal traditions.”
Examples
simple
“He was granted a title and entered the peerage.”
contextual
“The new legislation was debated in the House of Lords, a key part of the British peerage.”
complex
“While the modern peerage has lost much of its political power, it remains a significant symbol of the country's historical social hierarchy and legal traditions.”
Real-World Examples
“Sarwar announced he was resigning as Scottish Labour leader and taking a peerage in July so that he could take a job in the UK government as a trade minister.” Etymology
Inherited from Middle English perage, from Old French parage. By surface analysis, peer + -age. Doublet of parage.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/peerage