demesne
[ dih-meyn, -meen ]
/ dɪˈmeɪn, -ˈmin /
|
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.
RELATED WORDS
district, zone, region, colony, county, part, department, territory, province, sector, land, neighborhood, suburb, country, locality, field, place, world, circle, realm
Nearby words
Origin of demesne
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for demesnes
demesne
/ (dɪˈmeɪn, -ˈmiːn) /
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
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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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper