noun
fief
FEEF/fif/
Land controlled under a grant in return for service.
The knight holds a fief in return for serving his lord.
Etymology
Feodum named property granted for use in return for service. A fief was therefore not simply an estate, but a holding defined by the holder's obligations to a lord.
In context
You know that the official has decided that our twenty- one houses should be moved full into the fief of the Bishopric
More examples
- The lord grants a small fief to his loyal knight.
- Several villages lie within the boundaries of this fief.
- The king rewards military service with fiefs rather than money.
Forms
fief · fiefs
fiefdom noun — An area under someone's personal control.