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Glite Dictionary
seigniory

seigniory

9.9
Power and land that a local lord had in the past
  • noun
  • /ˈseɪnjəri/
  • Archaic
: señorío
  • The manor was part of his seigniory and subject to his laws.

Examples

  • Under the seigniory system, peasants owed service to their lord.

  • Her research focused on the history of feudal seigniory in medieval England.

  • The seigniory of the ancient lord was vast and prosperous.

  • He inherited the seigniory from his father.

  • The manor was part of his seigniory and subject to his laws.

  • Her research focused on the history of feudal seigniory in medieval England.

  • Under the seigniory system, peasants owed service to their lord.

Synonyms

lordship
vsseigniory
12 9.4

Power that a person has over land and people in the past

includes land and rank as well as authority rather than just personal power
feudal lordship
vsseigniory
1 9.9

The power and land a lord had in the Middle Ages

is broader and not restricted to the medieval historical period
seigneury
vsseigniory
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Land and power owned by a lord under the old feudal system in France or French Canada

is the same but without the specific regional focus on France or French Canada
signory
vsseigniory
  • Archaic
9.9

A land area ruled by a lord, often like an estate around a castle

is broader, covering rank and authority as well as land

How Big

domain
56 5.6
seigniory
  • Archaic
9.9
estate
751 4.2
manor
59 5.8
holding
19 3.9

Surface Forms

seigniory singular
seigniories plural

Etymology

Seigniory comes from the old French seignourie, from seignour meaning 'lord', which in turn comes from Latin senior meaning 'older'. A helpful way to remember this is to think of a 'senior' as the older, chief person who owned land, so seigniory means the land or power of a lord.