Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

demesne

/dɪˈmeɪn/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.32 in modern English

Syllables
de-mesne
IPA
/dɪˈmeɪn/
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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.

noun

A region or area; a domain.

Example Sentences

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Homonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce demesne?
The recorded pronunciation is /dɪˈmeɪn/.
What does demesne mean?
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.
Where does demesne come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce demesne

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “demesne”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɪˈmeɪn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “demesne”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “demesne” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.