tenant in chief

or ten·ant-in-chief

noun

a feudal vassal who holds land directly from the king.

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 of tenant-in-chief

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.
Feudal England -- Historical Studies On The Eleventh And Twelfth Centuries
J.H. Round

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012