[dɪˈmeɪn], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a piece of land attached to a manor and retained by the owner for their own use
(e.g: because labour was cheap, there were ample advantages in cultivating the demesne)

- possession of real property in one's own right


Phrases:
- held in demesne

Origin:
Middle English: from Old French demeine (later Anglo-Norman French demesne) ‘belonging to a lord’, from Latin dominicus, from dominus ‘lord, master’. Compare with domain