Titles in British nobility (also known as the peerage) denote rank. The five ranks, in descending order, are:
- duke/duchess
- marquess/marchioness
- earl/countess
- viscount/viscountess
- baron/baroness
A striking thing about these titles is that, with one exception, they all come from French. Only earl is an etymologically English word. William the Conqueror was himself the Duke of Normandy, and the French noble titles came across the Channel with him when he invaded Britain in 1066.
Marquess (pronounced MAHR-kwus) is an anglicization of the French marquis (pronounced mahr-KEE). The feminine form of the title, marchioness, is pronounced MAHR-shuh-nus. The feminine form in French is marquise, pronounced mahr-KEEZ.
Earl is an ancient title that comes from the Old English word for "warrior" or "nobleman." An earl is the English equivalent in rank to a European count; hence, the feminine form is countess.
Viscount is pronounced VYE-count, and is, etymologically speaking, a "vice-count" or inferior count.
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