demesne

[ dih-meyn, -meen ]
See synonyms for demesne on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. possession of land as one's own: land held in demesne.

  2. an estate or part of an estate occupied and controlled by, and worked for the exclusive use of, the owner.

  1. land belonging to and adjoining a manor house; estate.

  2. the dominion or territory of a sovereign or state; domain.

  3. a district; region.

Origin of demesne

1
1250–1300; Middle English demeine<Anglo-French demesne,Old French demein;see domain

Other words from demesne

  • de·mesn·i·al, adjective

Words Nearby demesne

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use demesne in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for demesne

demesne

/ (dɪˈmeɪn, -ˈmiːn) /


noun
  1. land, esp surrounding a house or manor, retained by the owner for his own use

  2. property law the possession and use of one's own property or land

  1. the territory ruled by a state or a sovereign; realm; domain

  2. a region or district; domain

Origin of demesne

1
C14: from Old French demeine; see domain

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012