demesne

[dih-meyn, -meen]

noun

possession of land as one's own: land held in demesne.

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

land belonging to and adjoining a manor house; estate.

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

a district; region.

Origin of demesne

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

Related formsde·mesn·i·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for demesnes

district, zone, region, colony, county, part, department, territory, province, sector, land, neighborhood, suburb, country, locality, field, place, world, circle, realm

Examples from the Web for demesnes

Historical Examples of demesnes

She had no Relation to manage her Demesnes, and could hardly be said to be possessed of any thing.
The True Life of Betty Ireland
Anonymous
Fosters of the fe, i. 175, foresters of the king's demesnes.
Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, Volume III (of 3)
Thomas Percy
There was an appearance of respectability and opulence about all the demesnes.
The May Flower, and Miscellaneous Writings
Harriet Beecher Stowe
And when he saw that, he let chase her out of this land, and betook it me, and all this land in my demesnes.
Le Morte D'Arthur, Volume II (of II)
Thomas Malory
A tallage on royal towns and demesnes, nevertheless, was set without authority of parliament four years afterwards.
View of the State of Europe during the Middle Ages, Vol. 3 (of 3)
Henry Hallam

British Dictionary definitions for demesnes

demesne

noun

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

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

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

a region or district; domain

Word Origin for demesne

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

Word Origin and History for demesnes

demesne

c.1300, demeyne (modern spelling by late 15c.), from Anglo-French demesne, demeine, Old French demaine "land held for a lord's own use," from Latin dominicus "belonging to a master," from dominus "lord." Re-spelled by Anglo-French legal scribes under influence of Old French mesnie "household" (and the concept of a demesne as "land attached to a mansion") and their fondness for inserting -s- before -n-. Essentially the same word as domain.