1. A British nobleman next in rank above a viscount and below a marquis, corresponding to a count in continental Europe.
2. (Abbr. E.) Used as a title for such a nobleman.

[Middle English erl, nobleman of high rank, from Old English eorl.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.