Old English eorl, of Germanic origin. The word earl originally denoted a man of noble rank, as opposed to a churl, also specifically a hereditary nobleman directly above the rank of thane. It was later an equivalent of jarl and, under Canute and his successors, applied to the governor of divisions of England such as Wessex and Mercia. In the late Old English period, as the Saxon court came increasingly under Norman influence, the word was applied to any nobleman bearing the continental title of count (see count)
