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Demesne
Definitions
- 1 A lord's chief manor place, with that part of the lands belonging thereto which has not been granted out in tenancy; a house, and the land adjoining, kept for the proprietor's own use.
"And whanne he sawe that he lete charce her oute of this land and bytoke hit me and alle this land in my demenys And when he saw that, he let chase her out of this land, and betook it me, and all this land in my demesnes."
- 2 territory over which rule or control is exercised wordnet
- 3 A region or area; a domain.
"Oft of one wide expanse had I been told / That deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne; […]"
- 4 extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for their own use wordnet
Etymology
From Middle English demayne, from Anglo-Norman demeyne, demene et al., Old French demeine, demaine, demeigne, domaine (“power”) (whence French domaine (“domain”)), a noun use of an adjective, from Latin dominicus (“belonging to a lord or master”), from dominus (“master, proprietor, owner”). See dame. Doublet of domain. The spelling with non-etymological s is partly due to influence from mesne and partly for the purpose of indicating a long vowel, as the s quiesced before a consonant; compare aisle, isle, Carlisle.
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