What does seigneury mean?
A seigneury is a feudal estate or domain held by a lord, known as a seigneur. The term refers not simply to land but also to the rights and authority attached to it, including powers over tenants and sometimes judicial or administrative responsibilities. In modern English, seigneury is uncommon and appears mainly in historical, legal, and academic discussion of medieval landholding, especially in Britain and its former colonies. It can also refer more broadly to the seigneur’s lordship or tenure. Because the concept belongs largely to feudal social and legal history, the word conveys a combination of antiquarian interest and institutional authority. It is useful when describing how land, privilege, obligation, and political power were organized before modern property and legal systems.
nounThe domain or estate of a seigneur, especially in the feudal system; also, the lordly authority or tenure associated with such an estate.
- The domain or estate of a seigneur in the feudal system.
- The authority, rights, or tenure associated with such an estate.
"The seigneury included the manor, its dependent lands, and the rights exercised over them by the lord."
"The charter granted him the seigneury and its associated judicial rights."
"Historians examined how obligations to the Crown changed within the seigneury."
The plural is used in historical and legal writing when referring to multiple feudal estates or domains.
"The archive records several seigneuries whose boundaries changed over time."
A seigneury was not merely a landowner’s property: it was a bundle of feudal rights, duties, and land.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does seigneury come from?
Seigneury comes through Middle English from Old French seignerie, meaning lordship or a seigneury. The French word developed from seigneur, from Latin senior, an older or senior person. The related term seigneur continued to be used for a feudal lord, while seigneurial describes matters connected with a lord or lordship.
Related word forms
How seigneury is actually used
The word is uncommon in modern general English and is chiefly historical or legal. It is associated with feudal landholding and may sound formal or archaic in contemporary use.
Easily confused with seigneury
A seigneur is the lord who holds or governs a seigneury, whereas a seigneury is the estate or domain over which that authority is exercised.