earl
    n 1: a British peer ranking below a marquess and above a
         viscount

Needlefish \Nee"dle*fish`\, n. (Zool.)
      (a) The European great pipefish (Siphostoma acus or
          Syngnathus acus); -- called also earl, and
          tanglefish.
      (b) The garfish.
          [1913 Webster]

Earl \Earl\, n. [OE. eorl, erl, AS. eorl man, noble; akin to OS.
   erl boy, man, Icel. jarl nobleman, count, and possibly to Gr.
   ? male, Zend arshan man. Cf. Jarl.]
   A nobleman of England ranking below a marquis, and above a
   viscount. The rank of an earl corresponds to that of a count
   (comte) in France, and graf in Germany. Hence the wife of an
   earl is still called countess. See Count.
   [1913 Webster]

Earl \Earl\, n. (Zo["o]l.)
   The needlefish. [Ireland]
   [1913 Webster]

EARL, Eng. law. A title of nobility next below a marquis and above a 
viscount. 
     2. Earls were anciently called comites, because they were wont comitari 
regem, to wait upon the king for counsel and advice. He was also called 
shireman, because each earl had the civil government of a shire. 
     3. After the Norman conquest they were called counts, whence the shires 
obtained the names of counties. They have now nothing to do with the 
government of counties, which has entirely devolved on the sheriff, the 
earl's deputy, or vice comes. 

Earl, NC -- U.S. town in North Carolina
   Population (2000):    234
   Housing Units (2000): 109
   Land area (2000):     0.819678 sq. miles (2.122956 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    0.819678 sq. miles (2.122956 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            19140
   Located within:       North Carolina (NC), FIPS 37
   Location:             35.195465 N, 81.534663 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):    
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Earl, NC
    Earl