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demesne

 - 4 dictionary results

de⋅mesne

  [di-meyn, -meen]
Use demesne in a Sentence
–noun
1. possession of land as one's own: land held in demesne.
2. an estate or part of an estate occupied and controlled by, and worked for the exclusive use of, the owner.
3. land belonging to and adjoining a manor house; estate.
4. the dominion or territory of a sovereign or state; domain.
5. a district; region.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME demeine < AF demesne, OF demein; see domain

Related forms:
de⋅mesn⋅i⋅al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To demesne
de·mesne   (dĭ-mān', -mēn')   
n.  

  1. Law Possession and use of one's own land.

  2. Manorial land retained for the private use of a feudal lord.

  3. The grounds belonging to a mansion or country house.

  4. An extensive piece of landed property; an estate.

  5. A district; a territory.

  6. A realm; a domain.


[Anglo-French, respelling (probably influenced by French mesne, variant of Anglo-Norman meen, middle, in legal phrase mesne lord, lord who holds a manor of a superior lord) of Middle English demeine, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French demaine; see domain.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

demesne 
1292, from O.Fr. demeine, from L. dominicus "belonging to a master," from dominus "lord." Re-spelled by Anglo-Fr. legal scribes under infl. of O.Fr. mesnie "household" (and the concept of a demesne as "land attached to a mansion") and their fondness for inserting -s- before -n-. Essentially the same word as domain.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

demesne

in English feudal law, that portion of a manor not granted to freehold tenants but either retained by the lord for his own use and occupation or occupied by his villeins or leasehold tenants. When villein tenure developed into the more secure copyhold and leaseholders became protected against premature eviction, the "lord's demesne" came to be restricted and usually denoted the lord's house and the park and surrounding lands

Learn more about demesne with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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