tenant in chief

or tenant-in-chief


noun
  1. a feudal vassal who holds land directly from the king.

Origin of tenant in chief

1
First recorded in 1600–10
  • Also called ten·ant in cap·i·te [kap-i-tee]. /ˈkæp ɪ ti/.

Words Nearby tenant in chief

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tenant in chief in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tenant-in-chief

tenant-in-chief

noun
  1. (in feudal society) a tenant who held some or all of his lands directly from the king

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