Meaning of demesne | Babel Free

Definitions

1. 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.
2. A region or area; a domain.

Equivalents

Examples

“And whanne he sawe that he lete charce her oute of this land⟳ and bytoke hit me and alle this land⟳ in my demenys And when he saw⟳ that, he let⟳ chase⟳ her out of this land⟳, and betook it me, and all this land⟳ in my demesnes.”

“The Duke of Argyle led the way in silence to the small postern by which they had been admitted into Richmond Park⟳, so long the favourite residence of Queen Caroline. It was opened by the same half-seen janitor, and they found themselves beyond the precincts of the royal demesne.”

“As no one had ever bothered them you could get⟳ within a few yards and watch⟳ their bright, busy foraging among the leaves. Duffy, the Consul, said that they were there every day as he had resisted the servants' implorings to shoot⟳ them; he knew that as soon as the first shot had been fired, this decorative adjunct to his demesne would vanish for ever.”

“I could spot no friendly native to tell⟳ me where I might find⟳ Bobbie. I proceeded, therefore, to roam hither and thither about the grounds and messuages in the hope⟳ of locating her, wishing that I had a couple of bloodhounds to aid me in my task, for the Travers demesne is a spacious one and there was a considerable amount of sunshine above, though none, I need⟳ scarcely mention⟳, in my heart.”

“Lines 993–995: […] One minute before his death, as we were crossing from his demesne to mine and had begun working up between the junipers and ornamental shrubs, a Red Admirable (see⟳ note⟳ to line 270) came dizzily whirling around us like⟳ a colored flame.”

“This area to the west of the city had been a priory demesne in the sixteenth century, but in the frantic landgrab that followed the Restoration of the 1660s, […]”

“Oft of one wide expanse had I been told / That deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne; […]”

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