Dictionary.com
definitions

seigneur

[ seen-yur, seyn-; French se-nyœr ]
/ sinˈyɜr, seɪn-; French sɛˈnyœr /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR seigneur ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural sei·gneurs [seen-yurz, seyn-; French se-nyœr] /sinˈyɜrz, seɪn-; French sɛˈnyœr/. (sometimes initial capital letter)

a lord, especially a feudal lord.
(in French Canada) a holder of a seigneury.

RELATED CONTENT

prima noctaRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

commander, liege, aristocrat, captain, prince, nobleman, superior, overlord, baron, sovereign, bishop, potentate, monarch, leader, dad, noble, patrician, ruler, peer, magnate

Nearby words

  1. seif,
  2. seif dune,
  3. seifert,
  4. seifert, jaroslav,
  5. seignette's salt,
  6. seigneury,
  7. seignior,
  8. seigniorage,
  9. seignioral,
  10. seigniory

Origin of seigneur

1585–95; < French < Vulgar Latin *senior lord. See senior
Related formssei·gneu·ri·al [seen-yur-ee-uh l, seyn-] /sinˈyɜr i əl, seɪn-/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for seigneur

British Dictionary definitions for seigneur

seigneur

/ (sɛˈnjɜː, French sɛɲœr) /

noun

a feudal lord, esp in France
(in French Canada, until 1854) the landlord of an estate that was subdivided among peasants who held their plots by a form of feudal tenure
Derived Formsseigneurial, adjective

Word Origin for seigneur

C16: from Old French, from Vulgar Latin senior, from Latin: an elderly man; see senior
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 seigneur

seigneur

n.

"feudal landowner in France," 1590s, from Middle French seigneur, from Old French seignor (see seignior). Related: Seigneuress.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper