The etymology of the English word lord goes back to Old English hlaf-weard (loaf-guardian) - reflect
The etymology of the English word lord goes back to Old English hlaf-weard (loaf-guardian) - reflecting the Germanic tribal custom of a superior providing food for his followers. The female equivalent, Lady, may come from words meaning "loaf-kneader". "Lord" did indeed originally mean, roughly, "keeper of the loaf": Middle English, from Old English hl ford : hl f, bread + weard, guardian.
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