mesne
- noun
- /miːn/
- Archaic
:
señor intermedio
- During the feudal era, a mesne commonly served as the intermediary between the king and his vassals.
Examples
-
The mesne lord granted the land to the tenant under specific conditions.
-
In 1829, there were four mesne lords and three rate payers!
Blog text (31) -
After constant disputes, the House of Commons finally decided that the mesne-lord (including the portreeve) and the inhabitants who paid scot and lot (i.e., rates) were alone entitled to vote.
Blog text (31) -
The rights and responsibilities of mesne lords were often outlined in local charters.
Synonyms
7
9.9
A person in the Middle Ages who holds land from a lord and must fight for him
2
9.5
A rich, powerful man who holds land from the king and gives soldiers to the king
1
9.9
A person who holds land and must give loyalty and service to a lord
A person who holds land from someone above them and rents it to other people
Compounds
How High-Ranking
Surface Forms
Etymology
Mesne comes from an old French word meaning 'middle' or 'between'. So a mesne person is an 'in-between' figure, for example a lord who stands between a higher lord and the tenant who works the land.