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Origin and history of loyalty

loyalty(n.)

c. 1400, from Old French loialte, leaute "loyalty, fidelity; legitimacy; honesty; good quality" (Modern French loyauté), from loial (see loyal), from Latin legalem. The ending is -ty (2), but loss of the Latin stem-vowel disguises it. The Medieval Latin word was legalitas.

The earlier Middle English form was leaute (mid-13c.), from the older French form. Loyalty oath is attested by 1852.

Allegiance ... is a matter of principle, and applies especially to conduct; the oath of allegiance covers conduct only. Loyalty is a matter of both principle and sentiment, conduct and feeling; it implies enthusiasm and devotion .... [Century Dictionary, 1897]

also from c. 1400

Entries linking to loyalty

loyal(adj.)

"true or faithful in allegiance," 1530s, in reference to subjects of sovereigns or governments, from French loyal, from Old French loial, leal "of good quality; faithful; honorable; law-abiding; legitimate, born in wedlock," from Latin legalem, from lex "law" (see legal).

Identical with legal, which maintains the Latin form; in most uses it has displaced Middle English leal, which is an older borrowing of the French word. For the twinning, compare royal/regal. Sense development in English is feudal, via notion of "faithful in carrying out legal obligations; conformable to the laws of honor." In a general sense (of dogs, lovers, etc.), from c. 1600. As a noun meaning "those who are loyal" from 1530s (originally often in plural).

-ty(2)

suffix of Latin origin, via Old French, used in forming abstract nouns denoting quality or condition from adjectives derived from Latin (safety, surety, loyalty, poverty; in city it is hardly recognizable); Middle English -tie, -te, from Old French -te (Modern French -té).

This is from Latin -tatem (nominative -tas, genitive -tatis), cognate with Greek -tes, Sanskrit -tati-. The cognate suffix in Spanish is -dad. So commonly preceded by a stem-vowel in -i- that -ity has become a living English formative.

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    disloyalty
    "want of loyalty, unfaithful behavior," early 15c., disloialte, from a variant of Old French desloiaute, desleauté "disloyalty, faithlessness, marital infidelity," from desloial, desleal "treacherous, false, deceitful" (Modern French déloyal), from des- "not, opposite of" (see di
    allegiance
    "ties or obligations of a citizen or subject to a government or sovereign," late 14c., alligeaunce, formed in English from Anglo-French legaunce "loyalty of a liege-man to his lord," from Old French legeance, from liege (see liege (adj.)). Corrupted in spelling by confusion with
    dedication
    late 14c., dedicacioun, "action of consecrating to a deity or sacred use," from Old French dedicacion "consecration of a church or chapel" (14c., Modern French dédication) and directly from Latin dedicationem, noun of action from dedicare "consecrate, proclaim, affirm, set apart,
    piety
    pity, compassion" (12c.), from Latin pietatem (nominative pietas) "dutiful conduct, sense of duty; religiousness, piety; loyalty...
    devotion
    In ancient Latin, "act of consecrating by a vow," also "loyalty, fealty, allegiance;" in Church Latin, "devotion to God,...
    brand
    Brand-name is from 1889; brand-loyalty from 1961....
    pity
    tenderness; pitiful state, wretched condition" (11c., Modern French pitié), from Latin pietatem (nominative pietas) "piety, loyalty...
    cooperation
    "the act of working together to one end," 1620s, from French coopération, or directly from Late Latin cooperationem (nominative cooperatio) "a working together," noun of action from past-participle stem of cooperari "to work together," from assimilated form of com "with, together
    nationalism
    1844, "devotion to one's country, national spirit or aspirations, desire for national unity, independence, or prosperity;" see nationalist + -ism; in some usages from French nationalisme. Earlier it was used in a theological sense of "the doctrine of divine election of nations" (
    patriotism
    "love of one's country; the passion which moves a person to serve his country, either in defending it or in protecting its rights and maintaining its laws and institutions," 1726, from patriot + -ism. The patriotic quip My country, right or wrong traces to a toast given by U.S. W

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