demesne

/dɪˈmeɪn/
noun
  1. A lord's main estate or manor, including the land kept for his own use rather than rented to tenants.
    • The castle stood at the center of a vast demesne that included forests and farmland.
    • The demesne was carefully managed to produce food for the entire manor.
    • Peasants worked the lord's demesne several days each week as part of their obligations.
  2. A region or area that someone controls or owns; a domain.
    • No one entered the old professor's study without permission—it was his intellectual demesne.
    • The garden was her private demesne, where she spent hours planting and weeding.
    • The CEO treated the company as his personal demesne, making all decisions alone.
What does "demesne" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean