VAS'SAL, noun 1. A feudatory; a tenant; one who holds land of a superior, and who vows fidelity and homage to him. A rear vassal is one who holds of a lord who is himself a vassal 2. A subject; a dependant. 3. A servant. 4. In common language, a bondman; a political slave. We will never be the vassals of a foreign prince. VAS'SAL, verb transitive To subject to control; to enslave.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI