Earl

Earl (?), n. [OE. eorl, erl, AS. eorl man, noble; akin to OS. erl boy, man, Icel. jarl nobleman, count, and possibly to Gr. � male, Zend arshan man. Cf. Jarl.] A nobleman of England ranking below a marquis, and above a viscount. The rank of an earl corresponds to that of a count (comte) in France, and graf in Germany. Hence the wife of an earl is still called countess. See Count.