mesne

[ meen ]

adjective

, Law.

1. intermediate or intervening.

mesne

/ miːn /

adjective

1. intermediate or intervening: used esp of any assignment of property before the last

   a mesne assignment

2. mesne profits
   rents or profits accruing during the rightful owner's exclusion from his land

Word History and Origins

Origin of mesne¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Anglo-French, spelling variant of meen mean ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of mesne¹

C15: from legal French meien in the middle, mean ³

Example Sentences

A spokeswoman for BT Openreach said: "We're sorry for the problems experienced by a handful of customers in Cliffords Mesne this week. "The issue arose whilst we were carrying out essential maintenance to one of our overhead cables, and we're working hard to put things right as soon as possible.

From BBC

The mix-up happened after repair work was carried out in Cliffords Mesne, Gloucestershire, leaving dozens of residents without a connection and others with different numbers.

From BBC

Still the division into principal tenants, mesne tenants, and cotters is clearly discernible, and the principal tenants are called free in the manor itself as well as in the hamlets.

From Project Gutenberg

No alliance was actually formed between the king and the mesne nobility against the immediate baronage.

From Project Gutenberg

Mesne, mēn, adj. intermediate: applied to a writ issued between the beginning and end of a suit.—Mesne lord, one who held land of a superior, but had granted part of it to another person.

From Project Gutenberg