Lord is a primary social title
Lord is a deferential appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler.
In only a few cases is "lord" an official or substantive title in itself, most commonly that of the Lord of the Manor and certain vestigial titles from the age of feudalism such as Lord of Mann, also in generic terms such as Lords Temporal and Lords Spiritual.
In most other cases it is merely a courtesy or deferential prefix or an unofficial and general alternative appellation of a peer, bishop, monarch or other person of authority. The term "lord" thus generally has no legal significance, except in the few cases stated above, the legal terms properly denoting a member of the peerage being Baron, Viscount and Earl, while the appellation of lord is not properly used with regard to the highest two ranks of Marquess and Duke.
Non-English equivalents
In most cultures in Europe an equivalent appellation denoting deference exists. The French term Mon Seigneur ("My Lord"), shortened to the modern French Monsieur derives directly from the Latin seniorem, meaning "elder, senior". From this Latin source derived directly also the Italian Signore, the Spanish Señor, the Portuguese Senhor. The English "Mister", derived from the French, being a further shortening of "Mon Seigneur". Non-romance languages have their own equivalents: Dutch Meneer/Mijnheer/De Heer (as in: to de heer Joren Jansen), German Herr, Hungarian Úr, Greek Kyrie or to the Polish Pan.
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