droit du seigneur

American  

[drwa dy se-nyœr] / drwa dü sɛˈnyœr /

noun

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

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droit du seigneur British  

/ drwa dy sɛɲœr /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of droit du seigneur

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

Example Sentences

So I could not have been more thrilled when #MeToo ripped away the curtain on the murky transgressions and diminishments that women had endured in the droit du seigneur era.

From New York Times • May 2, 2020

But the way the campaign played out, with the release of the tape, it was almost as if people were talking about droit du seigneur all over again.

From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2016

This new cinema will be cut and pasted together in a world beyond copyright, where droit d'auteur will soon seem as medieval as droit du seigneur.

From The Guardian • Jul. 12, 2011

The playwright focuses on mother-daughter relationships, intimate sisterly affection and a rigid class structure that borders on the feudal droit du seigneur.

From Time Magazine Archive