fief
a fee or feud held of a feudal lord; a tenure of land subject to feudal obligations.
a territory held in fee.
Origin of fief
1Words Nearby fief
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fief in a sentence
If your daughter insists upon refusing to select from among my men, and marries Eucher, the fief reverts to me.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman | Eugne Sue"No fief can remain in the possession of a woman," was the sententious utterance of the bailiff.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman | Eugne SueThis serf, who belonged to the abbey of St. Vincent, a fief of the bishopric, was named Thiegaud.
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman | Eugne SueThis is a fief, of which a like succession of proprietors would render nobility difficult to support.
The Confessions of J. J. Rousseau, Complete | Jean Jacques RousseauAt Vaucouleurs she was heard to say that the Dauphin held the kingdom in fief (en commende).
The Life of Joan of Arc, Vol. 1 and 2 (of 2) | Anatole France
British Dictionary definitions for fief
feoff
/ (fiːf) /
(in feudal Europe) the property or fee granted to a vassal for his maintenance by his lord in return for service
Origin of fief
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for fief
[ (feef) ]
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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