fief
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fief
- /fiːf/
Rhymes with -iːf
Where it comes from
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.
noun fiefs
- Land held of a superior, particularly on condition of homage, fealty, and personal service, especially military service. Fief: m[asculine] A Fief. A (Knights) fee, a Mannor, or inheritance held by homage, and fealty; and given at the firſt, in truſt, and upon promiſe of aſſiſtance, or ſervice in the wars: […] Alſo, a Tenure, or Eſtate in fief, or in fee. This word was firſt heard of, after the conqueſt of Gallia by th
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Synonym of estate: any land, when considered as a region over which the owner exercises lordly control.
Through the years of my childhood my maternal grandmother remained the one unforgettable presence, the strong country woman ruling over her farm like a medieval lord. On her fief I first opened my eyes to poetry and to the land. […] There was something of the ancient matriarch in her, who had given
Similar: estate
- A territory, a domain, an area over which one exercises lordly control, particularly with regard to corporate or governmental bureaucracies.
Similar: fee
Thesaurus
noun
Similar: fee
Translations
Talk about this word "fief." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fief. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. fief. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fief "fief." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fief.Cite this
@misc{fief_2026,
title = {fief},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fief},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
