LORD, a title of honour given to those who are noble
either by birth or by creation. The title is also by courtesy given to all the sons of dukes and marquises, and to the eldest sons of earls; and it is likewise a title of honour bestowed on those who are honourable by their employment, as Lord Advocate, Lord Chamberlain, Lord Chancellor, and the like. The word is Saxon, but abbreviated from two syllables into one. "The etymology of the word," says Coates, "is well worth observing; for it was composed of hlaƿ, a loaf of bread, and ford, to give or afford; so that Hlaƿford, now Lord, implies a giver of bread, because in those ages such great men kept extraordinary houses, and fed all the poor."