Wednesday, 15 October 2014

Demesne

Word of the Day for Wednesday 15th October 2014


Demesne \dih-MEYN, -MEEN\
Noun
1. Possession of land as one's own: land held in demesne.
2. An estate or part of an estate occupied and controlled by, and worked for the exclusive use of, the owner.
Quotes
As the foregoing analysis has demonstrated, the proportion between land held indemesne and land held by subtenants seems to have been relatively stable throughout the later Anglo-Saxon period and even beyond the Conquest.
-- Francesca Tinti, Sustaining Belief, 2010
Origin
Demesne is derived from the Middle English word demeine. It is related to the more common word domain, which also comes from the Latin word dominicus meaning "of a master."

Thanks to: www.dictionary.com

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