vas‧sal /ˈvæsəl/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: Medieval Latin vassallus, from vassus 'servant']

1. a man in the Middle Ages who was given land to live on by a lord in return for promising to work or fight for him

2. formal a country that is controlled by another country:
a vassal state

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲