Ranks of Peerage
- Duke
- Marquess
- Earl
- Viscount
- Baron
In Scotland, the fifth rank is called a lord of Parliament, as "barons" in Scotland are not peers, but holders of feudal dignities. Baronets, while holders of a hereditary title, are not peers.
The word "duke" traces its origin to the Latin word dux, meaning leader.
"Marquess" comes from the French marquis, which in turn is a derivative of marche or march. This is a reference to the English borders ("marches") with Wales and Scotland, a relationship more evident in the feminine form: marchioness.
The term "earl" derives from eorl, signifying a military leader in Old English or Anglo-Saxon. The meaning of this word may have been affected by the Old Norse jarl (meaning free-born warrior or nobleman), during the time of the Danelaw, thus giving rise to the modern sense. Since there was no Old English or Old Norse feminine equivalent for the term, the word "countess" is used (an earl is analogous to the Continental count), which itself derives from the Latin
Similarly, the term "viscount" comes from the Latin vicecomes, or vice-count.
Finally, "baron" comes ultimately from the Old Germanic baro, meaning freeman.
