droit du seigneur

[ French drwa dy se-nyœr ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the supposed right claimable by a feudal lord to have sexual relations with the bride of a vassal on her first night of marriage.

droit du seigneur

/ drwa dy sɛɲœr /

in feudal times, the right of a lord to have sexual intercourse with a vassal's bride on her wedding night

1815–25; < French: literally, right of the lord

from French, literally: the right of the lord

In a lawsuit, documented here, Rogers is charged with exercising what might be called droit du seigneur.

More than this, they enjoy a sort of "droit du seigneur," and no man's wife or daughter is safe from them.

The Peers have, in fact, a political droit du seigneur in England.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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