[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

demesne \demesne"\, n. oe. demeine, demain, rule, demesne, of.
   demeine, demaine, demeigne, domaine, power, f. domaine
   domain, fr. l. dominium property, right of ownership, fr.
   dominus master, proprietor, owner. see dame, and cf.
   demain, domain, danger, dungeon. law
   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. written also demain. --wharton's law dict.
   burrill.
   1913 webster

   ancient demesne. eng. law see under ancient.
      1913 webster
see also:
dame demain domain danger dungeon demain 
ancient demesne ancient 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

demesne
     n 1: extensive landed property especially in the country
          retained by the owner for his own use; "the family owned
          a large estate on long island" syn: estate, land, landed
          estate, acres
     2: territory over which rule or control is exercised; "his
        domain extended into europe"; "he made it the law of the
        land" syn: domain, land
see also:
estate land landed estate acres domain 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

101 moby thesaurus words for "demesne":
   acres, ambit, arable land, area, arena, bailiwick, barnyard,
   barton, beat, border, borderland, cattle ranch, champaign,
   chattels real, chicken farm, circle, circuit, collective farm,
   cotton plantation, croft, dairy farm, demesne farm, department,
   discipline, domain, dominion, dry farm, dude ranch, factory farm,
   fallow, farm, farmery, farmhold, farmland, farmplace, farmstead,
   farmyard, field, fruit farm, fur farm, grain farm, grange,
   grassland, grounds, hacienda, hemisphere, homecroft, homefarm,
   homestead, honor, judicial circuit, jurisdiction, kibbutz, kolkhoz,
   land, landed property, lands, location, lot, lots, mains, manor,
   manor farm, march, messuage, orb, orbit, orchard, pale, parcel,
   pasture, pen, plantation, plat, plot, poultry farm, praedium,
   precinct, property, province, quadrat, ranch, rancheria, rancho,
   real estate, real property, realm, realty, round, sheep farm,
   sphere, station, steading, stock farm, subdiscipline, tenements,
   terrain, territory, toft, truck farm, walk

[4] : Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)

demesne, eng. law. the name given to that portion of the lands of a manor 
which the lord retained in his own hands for the use of himself and family. 
these lands were called terra dominicales or demesne lands, because they 
were occupied by the lord, or dominus manerii, and his servants, c. 2 bl. 
com. 90. vide ancient demesne; demesne as of fee; and soil assault demesne. 

Demesne >> D Words
Demesne, definition of term: Demesne
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