See Also: shifting(1)(dictionary)
shifting(2)(dictionary)
shifting cultivation(medicine)
shifting dullness(medicine)
shifting pacemaker(medicine)
SHIFTING USE, estates(law)
Shifting Sands - Poker(gambling)

liege (iou) and shifting(1) (iou)


liege (iou)



liege adjective, noun, & verb. ME.
[Old & mod. French lige (Old French also liege) from medieval Latin leticus, laeticus from letus, litus, prob. from Germanic.]
A. adjective.
a. Hist. Of a superior: entitled to feudal allegiance and service (now rare exc. in liege lord below). Of a vassal: bound to give feudal service and allegiance (cf. LIEGEMAN). ME.
liege lord a feudal superior, a sovereign.
b. Loyal, faithful. rare. L15.
Hist. Of or pertaining to the bond between feudal superior and vassal. LME.
b. noun.
Hist. The superior to whom a vassal owes feudal allegiance and service; a liege lord. LME.
Browning My liege, do not believe it! I am yours.
A vassal who owes feudal allegiance and service to a superior, a liegeman (Hist.); transf. a loyal subject of a sovereign. Usu. in pl. LME.
Sir W. Scott Her Majesty, being detained by her gracious desire to receive the homage of her lieges. J. Tey The Chief Constable..sent a request to the Home Office for troops to protect the lieges.
C. verb trans.
Give (homage etc.) as a liegeman. Only in L17.
Foll. by it: rule over like a liege lord. rare. M19.
liegedom noun the condition of being a liege E19.
liegeless adjective (rare) (a) not subject to a superior; free; (b) disregardful of obligations to a superior: E19.

shifting(1) (iou)



shifting adjective. L15.
[formed as SHIFTING noun + -ING2.]
That shifts or changes position or direction; changeable in character. L15.
shifting agriculture = shifting cultivation below. shifting centre = METACENTRE. shifting cultivation any of several forms of agriculture in which an area of ground is cleared of vegetation and cultivated for a (usu. small) number of years and then abandoned for a new area. shifting keyboard a type of piano etc. keyboard moved by the soft pedal. shifting pedal the soft pedal of a piano etc. shifting spanner an adjustable spanner.
Sir W. Scott A whole parish was swallowed up by the shifting sands. W. McIlvanney His sons were supposed to grow up decent among the shifting values that surrounded them.
That uses shifts, tricks, or subterfuge; cunning; dishonest; shifty. L16.
shiftingly adverb L16.
shiftingness noun M19.