The Chinese word 领主 (lǐngzhǔ), meaning "lord" or "feudal lord", is a compound noun formed through semantic combination. It is composed of the character 领 (lǐng), which primarily means "territory", "domain", or "to lead", and the character 主 (zhǔ), which means "master", "owner", or "ruler". When combined, the term logically denotes a "master of a territory", a ruler who holds sovereignty and authority over a specific piece of land and its inhabitants, perfectly encapsulating the concept of feudal lordship where control of land was the primary source of power and status.