Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

Members of royal families and the nobility

archduke

noun

a prince in the Austrian royal family

aristocracy

noun

the people in the highest class of society, who usually have money, land, and power and who often have special titles, such as “duke” or “countess”

aristocrat

noun

a member of the aristocracy

baron

noun

a man who is a member of the nobility. In the U.K., a baron has lower status than most other members of the nobility.

baroness

noun

a woman who is a member of the nobility. In the U.K., a baroness has lower status than most other members of the nobility.

baroness

noun

the wife of a baron

baronet

noun

a man who is a member of the British nobility. A baronet has a lower status than a baron.

baronetcy

noun

the rank of a baronet

consort

noun

the wife or husband of a king or queen

Count

noun

a nobleman in some European countries, but not in the U.K.

countess

noun

a woman who is a member of the nobility. A countess is either a woman with the same rank as an earl or a count, or the wife of an earl or count.

the crown

noun

the king or queen

crown prince

noun

a prince who will become king after the present king or queen dies

crown princess

noun

a princess who will become queen after the present king or queen dies

crown princess

noun

the wife of a crown prince

Debrett’s

a book that gives information about British aristocrats (=people from the highest social classes)

duchess

noun

a woman who has the same position as a duke

duchess

noun

the wife of a duke

duke

noun

a man with a very high social position, just below that of a prince. A woman who has the same social position as a duke, or who is married to a duke, is called a duchess.

duke

noun

a man who ruled a very small country or region in Europe in the past

dukedom

noun

the social position of a duke

dynasty

noun

a family whose members rule a country or region for a long period of time

earl

noun

a man with a very high social position in the U.K.

empress

noun

a woman who rules an empire or who is married to an emperor

house

noun

an old important family, especially a royal one

king

noun

a man who rules a country and is the senior male member of the royal family

knight

noun

a man in the U.K. who has been given an honor called a knighthood and can use the title “Sir” before his name

Kt.

abbreviation

knight

Lady

used as a title of a woman who is a peeress, the wife or daughter of a peer, or the wife of a knight

laird

noun

someone who owns a large area of land in Scotland

lord

noun

a man who has a high rank in the British aristocracy (=highest social class). A woman of the same rank is called a lady.

maharajah

noun

an Indian prince, especially in the past

maharani

noun

the wife of a maharajah

marchioness

noun

the wife of a marquis

marchioness

noun

a woman of middle rank in the British nobility

marquess

noun

a man of middle rank in the British nobility

marquis

noun

a man of middle rank in the nobility of a European country other than the U.K.

marquise

noun

a woman of middle rank in the nobility of a European country other than the U.K.

marquise

noun

the wife of a marquis

monarch

noun

a king, or a queen

the monarchy

noun

the king or queen and their family in a particular country

noble

noun

a member of the nobility

nobleman

noun

a man who is a member of the nobility

noblewoman

noun

a woman who is a member of the nobility

overlord

noun

in the past, someone with less power than a king or queen but more power than a lord

the Palace

noun

used when talking about a royal family, especially the British royal family

peer

noun

someone who is from a high social class in the U.K. and has a title such as “Lord”

peerage

noun

the position of being a peer in the U.K.

pharaoh

noun

a king in ancient Egypt

prince

noun

a male member of a royal family who is not the king, especially one whose parent or grandparent is the king or queen

prince

noun

the male royal leader of some small countries

princess

noun

a female member of a royal family, especially one whose parent or grandparent is the king or queen

princess

noun

the wife of a prince

queen

noun

a woman who rules a country because she belongs to a royal family

queen

noun

a woman who is married to a king

rajah

noun

a king or prince in India

ranee

another spelling of rani

rani

noun

a queen in India

royal

noun

a member of a royal family

royal family

noun

a family consisting of a king or a queen, and their relatives

royalty

noun

kings and queens and their families

shah

noun

in the past, a king in Iran and some other countries in the Middle East

squire

noun

a man who owned land in England in the past and had high status in the local area

sultana

noun

the wife, mother, sister, or daughter of a sultan

viscount

noun

a British nobleman with a low rank

viscountess

noun

a British noblewoman with a low rank

the Windsors

the British royal family

blue blood

noun

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

proton

the part of the nucleus of an atom that has a positive electrical charge

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog