first estate

American  

noun

1. the first of the three estates: the clergy in France; the Lords Spiritual in England.

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first estate British  

noun

1. the first of the three estates of the realm, such as the Lords Spiritual in England or the clergy in France until the revolution

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Etymology

Origin of first estate

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

first estate

When I attended my first estate sale in November at a Beverly Hills home, a stunning vintage Teac A-7010 tape recorder caught my attention.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2023

Anson MacAuslan was among the first estate managers to secure funding from Peatland Action — a project funded by the Scottish government to restore peatlands.

From Nature ● Feb. 11, 2020

His manner showed it, to her impatient annoyance, as he hastily introduced another aspect of man's first estate.

From The Good Comrade by Betts, Anna Whelan

Indeed it is consolatory to reflect that he has never done anything else but make mistakes, from the moment that he left his first estate down to the present moment.

From The Assembly of God Miscellaneous Writings of C. H. Mackintosh, volume III by Mackintosh, C. (Charles) H. (Henry)

When God determined to save man, did that volition necessarily imply a positive determination not to save the angels who kept not their first estate?

From The Doctrines of Predestination, Reprobation, and Election by Wallace, Robert