Added 9 October 2026
fief
/fiːf/ noun
In Latin: feudum, rēgnum Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about fief at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Land held of a superior, particularly on condition of homage, fealty, and personal service, especially military service.
- Synonym of estate: any land, when considered as a region over which the owner exercises lordly control.
- A territory, a domain, an area over which one exercises lordly control, particularly with regard to corporate or governmental bureaucracies.
Origin
From Middle French fief, from Old French fief, from Medieval Latin fevum, a variant of feudum (whence also Old French fieu, fied), from Old Frankish *fehu (“cattle, livestock”), from Proto-Germanic *fehu (“cattle, sheep”), from Proto-Indo-European *peku-, *peḱu- (“sheep”). Doublet of fee, feud, and feoff.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)