Dictionary / loyal
loyal
- adjective
- from Middle French
Having or demonstrating undivided and constant support for someone or something.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “loyal” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
adjective
- Having or demonstrating undivided and constant support for someone or something.
Dogs are very loyal animals, which is why they make wonderful pets.
- Firm in allegiance to a person or institution; allegiant.
- Faithful to a person or cause.
We must remain loyal to the mission.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (3)
- adjectivesteadfast in allegiance or duty
- adjectiveinspired by love for your country — also: patriotic
- adjectiveunwavering in devotion to friend or vow or cause; ; ; - Campaign song for William Henry Harrison — also: firm, truehearted, fast
Antonyms: disloyal, fickle, treacherous
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)loyal
- Middle Frenchloyal
- Old Frenchloial
- Latinlēgālis
Borrowed from Middle French loyal, from Old French loial, leial, leal, from Latin lēgālis. Doublet of legal and leal.
Derivatives — words built from “loyal”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “loyal” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “loyal” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Wiktionary’s etymology does not give a separate meaning for the earliest form of “loyal”, so we don’t state one. The historical dictionary entry below shows how the word was understood in 1913.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
loyal a. [F. loyal, OF. loial, leial, L. legalis, fr. lex, legis, law. See Legal, and cf. Leal.]
- Faithful to law; upholding the lawful authority; faithful and true to the lawful government; faithful to the prince or sovereign to whom one is subject; unswerving in allegiance.
- True to any person or persons to whom one owes fidelity, especially as a wife to her husband, lovers to each other, and friend to friend; constant; faithful to a cause or a principle.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
adjectiveMeaning: Having or demonstrating undivided and constant support for someone or something.
Dogs are very loyal animals, which is why they make wonderful pets.
George is a loyal and loving husband.
adjectiveMeaning: Faithful to a person or cause.
We must remain loyal to the mission.
adjectiveMeaning: steadfast in allegiance or duty
loyal subjects
loyal friends stood by him
adjectiveMeaning: unwavering in devotion to friend or vow or cause; ; ; - Campaign song for William Henry Harrison
loyal supporters
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
loyal
/ˈlɔɪəl/ · loy·al
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
loyal
/ˈlɔɪəl/ · loy·al · adjective
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “loyal” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“Dogs are very loyal animals, which is why they make wonderful pets.”
Circle the meaning used.
“We must remain loyal to the mission.”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “loyal” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — loyal
Which meaning, sentence 1: C. Having or demonstrating undivided and constant support for someone or something.
Which meaning, sentence 2: B. Faithful to a person or cause.
Origin: B. Middle French (Middle French loyal)
Journey: English loyal ← Middle French loyal ← Old French loial ← Latin lēgālis
Some derivatives: loyalise, loyalism, loyalist, loyalization, loyalize, loyally, loyalness, nonloyal
Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French loyal, from Old French loial, leial, leal, from Latin lēgālis. Doublet of legal and leal.
Sources: Wiktionary “loyal” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/loyal#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/loyal