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

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

I confess the Scripture does not expressly attribute these several endowments to Adam in his first estate.

From The World's Great Sermons, Volume 02 Hooker to South by Kleiser, Grenville

This work would have been incumbent on man had he retained his first estate.

From Sermons on Various Important Subjects by Lee, Andrew

They walked hand in hand for the last time in this, their first estate.

From Added Upon A Story by Anderson, Nephi