tenant in chief
or tenant-in-chief
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noun
a feudal vassal who holds land directly from the king.
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Also called ten·ant in cap·i·te [kap-i-tee]. /ˈkæp ɪ ti/.
Origin of tenant in chief
First recorded in 1600–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for tenant in chief
British Dictionary definitions for tenant in chief
tenant-in-chief
noun
(in feudal society) a tenant who held some or all of his lands directly from the king
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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