vassal
noun/ˈvæsl/
/ˈvæsl/
- a man in the Middle Ages who promised to fight for and show support for a king or other powerful owner of land, in return for being given land to live on
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- a country that depends on and is controlled by another country
- a vassal state
Word Originlate Middle English: via Old French from medieval Latin vassallus ‘retainer’, of Celtic origin.
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