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tenant in chief

or ten·ant-in-chief

See more synonyms for tenant in chief on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a feudal vassal who holds land directly from the king.
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Origin of tenant in chief

First recorded in 1600–10
Also called ten·ant in cap·i·te [kap-i-tee] /ˈkæp ɪ ti/.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tenant-in-chief

Historical Examples

  • The old Parliaments, which every tenant-in-chief had at least the customary right of attending, were no longer to exist.

    A Student's History of England, v. 1 (of 3)

    Samuel R. Gardiner.

  • The same principle applies to the relation between the tenant-in-chief and his under-tenant.

British Dictionary definitions for tenant-in-chief

tenant-in-chief

noun
  1. (in feudal society) a tenant who held some or all of his lands directly from the king
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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