1. Land attached to a manor and retained for the owner's own use. 2. The lands of an estate. 3. A region or domain. 4. Possession of real property in one's own right.
"The monarch's demesne includes Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland."
"The small strip of sand on the edge of the island was not part of the ruler's demesne."
"The family's demesne was small, yet still profitable."
Latin, late 13th century
Let's start with the Latin "dominus" (meaning "lord, master"), which turned into the Old French "demeine," which became the Anglo-Norman French "demesne," meaning "belonging to a lord." The latter came into Old English in the 13th century. In medieval Europe, "demesne" indicated the part of a lord's land that was kept for his personal use and not used by tenants. ...
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