vassal
vas·sal [vassal vassals] BrE [ˈvæsl] NAmE [ˈvæsl] noun 1. a man in the Middle Ages who promised to fight for and be loyal to a king or other powerful owner of land, in return for being given land to live on 2. a country that depends on and is controlled by another country Word Origin: late Middle English: via Old French from medieval Latin vassallus ‘retainer’, of Celtic origin.
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