Loaf and master

Our modern word “lord” can be traced back etymologically to an Anglo-Saxon one which literally means “guardian of the loaf”. The Anglo-Saxon hlafweard was contracted to hlaford and then, in the Middle Ages, mutated into the feudal term “lord”. Its origins reflect the responsibility tribal chieftains once had to provide bread for all their followers, and the central role bread played in their diet. Similarly, “lady” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word hlaefdige, meaning “someone who kneads the loaf”.