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

Justinian aimed at restoring all things to their first estate.

From The Church and the Barbarians Being an Outline of the History of the Church from A.D. 461 to A.D. 1003 by Hutton, William Holden

Man's first estate is the spirit life; his second estate, the mortal life.

From Elias An Epic of the Ages by Whitney, Orson F.

There is a law to control the spiritual, and a law for the material, and it is by observance of these two laws, that man's first estate is to be regained.

From The Lost Hunter A Tale of Early Times by Adams, John Turvill