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demesnial

 - 2 dictionary results

de⋅mesne

  [di-meyn, -meen]
Use demesnial 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.
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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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