Which is higher baroness or countess

Earl is an ancient title that comes from the Old English word for "warrior" or "nobleman. Sir is used to address a man who has the rank of baronet or knight; the higher nobles are referred to as Lord. Lady is used when referring to women who hold certain titles: marchioness, countess, viscountess, or baroness. It can also be used of the wife of a lower-ranking noble, such as a baron, baronet, or knight.

Lady is also the courtesy title for the daughters of the higher-ranking nobles duke, marquess, or earl. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. More Words At Play. Merriam-Webster's Words of the Week - Oct. Homophones, Homographs, and Homonyms. Time Traveler. The terminology used for the royal family can be very confusing. As sovereign of the nation , a queen outranks everyone, and also has the power to grant other titles.

They can also be given to grandchildren of the monarch who are born to a son of the monarch, such as Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie born to Prince Andrew.

As neither a child or grandkid of the monarch, Prince George broke the mould to get the title level, as his dad is in line for the throne. The Queen ordered a new letters patent when Charlotte was born so she could have a title too, otherwise she would have been known as Lady Charlotte Mountbatten-Windsor.

Instead she was actually known as Diana, Princess of Wales, thanks to her husband Charles who was the Prince of Wales. There are many more levels beyond king and queen, however. For people who do not live in monarchies, or who aren't familiar with historical titles, this can get a bit confusing.

Infoplease is here to help you out. Being an English language site, we're going to use examples from the United Kingdom, since the members of the royal family are pretty famous throughout the anglosphere. The terms we're going to look at, as a result, are a bit specific to European cultures.

Feudal cultures elsewhere, like Japan, used different titles and ranks. Aside from the nobility titles we're about to discuss, there are a few other terms you should know to understand how a monarchy works.

Someone with a noble title of legal importance is known as a peer. Peerages can be hereditary, meaning they're passed down, or they can last only for the peer's lifetime. Life peerages, as they're called, are usually honorary. Life peerages have only been around since the Life Peerages Act of In the United Kingdom, having a peerage in Scotland, England, Ireland or Wales basically, being a member of the British nobility makes you eligible to serve in the House of Lords.

The House of Lords is one of the two houses of parliament. The Prime Minister comes from the House of Commons. The prime minister, or any other member of the Commons, can hold a peerage. Comes from the Latin, " imperator ," which was originally a military title. Soldiers would salute the leader of a victorious army as "imperator. Except for the phrase "Emperor of India," which was added to the British Monarch's title in and used until India became independent, Britain has not used the term.

The monarch outranks everyone else. A monarch inherits their title from the previous king or queen. England historically gave preference to male rulers, but the Queen still outranks her husband since she inherited the title.