*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of jarl

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *erlaz Proto-Norse ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ (erilaʀ) Old Norse jarlbor. English jarl From Old Norse jarl, from Proto-Norse ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ (erilaʀ). Cognates include Old English eorl. Doublet of earl and eorl.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

A medieval Scandinavian nobleman, especially in Norway and Denmark.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *erlaz Proto-Norse ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ (erilaʀ) Old Norse jarlbor. English jarl From Old Norse jarl, from Proto-Norse ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ (erilaʀ). Cognates include Old English eorl. Doublet of earl and eorl.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "non:jarl",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Germanic *erlaz\nProto-Norse ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ (erilaʀ)\nOld Norse jarlbor.\nEnglish jarl\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*erlaz\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Norse\", \"term\" : \"ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmq-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old Norse\", \"term\" : \"jarl\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"non\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"jarl\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"jarl\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "jarl"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse jarl"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq-pro",
        "3": "ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Norse ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ (erilaʀ)"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "cognate",
        "2": "Cognates"
      },
      "expansion": "Cognates"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "eorl"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English eorl"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "earl",
        "3": "eorl"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of earl and eorl"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "non:jarl",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Germanic *erlaz\nProto-Norse ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ (erilaʀ)\nOld Norse jarlbor.\nEnglish jarl"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*erlaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/erlaz"
    ],
    [
      "ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ",
      "ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ#Proto-Norse"
    ],
    [
      "jarl",
      "jarl#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "jarl",
      "jarl#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ",
      "ᛖᚱᛁᛚᚨᛉ#Proto-Norse"
    ],
    [
      "eorl",
      "eorl#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "earl",
      "earl#English"
    ],
    [
      "eorl",
      "eorl#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A medieval Scandinavian nobleman, especially in Norway and Denmark."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "ab9d12eb93d85c6475e9fc0da013d8cbcbc634228885e19b4bf83eebfada2a87",
      "rawRecordSha256": "eee893a76422256279c623704bbebbeaac39ec95fd210975ef94bf8b2c3c3653",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 203043
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for jarl →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-amFybA