Wordnet 3.0
NOUN (2)
1.
the dignity or rank or position of an earl or countess;
2.
the domain controlled by an earl or count or countess;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Earldom \Earl"dom\, n. [AS. eorl-d?m; eorl man, noble + -d?m
-dom.]
1. The jurisdiction of an earl; the territorial possessions
of an earl.
[1913 Webster]
2. The status, title, or dignity of an earl.
[1913 Webster]
He [Pulteney] shrunk into insignificancy and an
earldom. --Chesterfield.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
earldom
n 1: the dignity or rank or position of an earl or countess
2: the domain controlled by an earl or count or countess
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):
EARLDOM. The seigniory of an earl; the title and dignity of an earl.