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.
3. land belonging to and adjoining a manor house; estate.
4. the dominion or territory of a sovereign or state; domain.
5. a district; region.

demesne

/ -ˈmiːn; dɪˈmeɪn /

noun

1. land, esp surrounding a house or manor, retained by the owner for his own use
2. property law the possession and use of one's own property or land
3. the territory ruled by a state or a sovereign; realm; domain
4. a region or district; domain

Other Words From

• de·mesni·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of demesne¹

1250–1300; Middle English demeine < Anglo-French demesne, Old French demein; domain

Word History and Origins

Origin of demesne¹

C14: from Old French demeine; see domain

Example Sentences

The show has also expanded outside the demesne walls.

From BBC

The names on the blue and white city signs rarely memorialize the Native Americans whose lands these were, nor the Spanish missionaries and ranchers who divvied them up into demesnes more enormous than dukedoms.

From Los Angeles Times

And as the years progress, she gives up dreams of royalty to focus on the demesne she can control: the convent and its lands.

From Los Angeles Times

This was especially the case in England, where the aristocracy was more dependent on the cultivation of the demesne.

From Salon

“My demesne,” he says with a grin, happy to be caught out.

From Literature

Related Words

• country
• district
• field
• land
• locality
• neighborhood
• part
• place
• province
• sector
• suburb
• territory
• world
• zone