demesne
Plural: demesnes
Noun
- Legal possession of land as one's own; a lord's land.
- extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use
- territory over which rule or control is exercised
- A lord's chief manor place, with that part of the lands belonging thereto which has not been granted out in tenancy; a house, and the land adjoining, kept for the proprietor's own use.
- A region or area; a domain.
Examples
- The triple-word score was his DEMESNE, firmly held against all opponents.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English demayne, from Anglo-Norman demeyne, demene et al., Old French demeine, demaine, demeigne, domaine (“power”) (whence French domaine (“domain”)), a noun use of an adjective, from Latin dominicus (“belonging to a lord or master”), from dominus (“master, proprietor, owner”). See dame. Doublet of domain.
The spelling with non-etymological s is partly due to influence from mesne and partly for the purpose of indicating a long vowel, as the s quiesced before a consonant; compare aisle, isle, Carlisle.
Scrabble Score: 10
demesne: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Worddemesne: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
demesne: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary
Words With Friends Score: 12
demesne: valid Words With Friends Word