Seneschal

2 definitions found

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

  Seneschal \Sen"es*chal\, n. [OF. seneschal, LL. seniscalcus, of
     Teutonic origin; cf. Goth. sineigs old, skalks, OHG. scalch,
     AS. scealc. Cf. {Senior}, {Marshal}.]
     An officer in the houses of princes and dignitaries, in the
     Middle Ages, who had the superintendence of feasts and
     domestic ceremonies; a steward. Sometimes the seneschal had


     the dispensing of justice, and was given high military
     commands.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Then marshaled feast
           Served up in hall with sewers and seneschale. --Milton.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Philip Augustus, by a famous ordinance in 1190, first
           established royal courts of justice, held by the
           officers called baitiffs, or seneschals, who acted as
           the king's lieutenants in his demains.   --Hallam.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  seneschal
       n : the chief steward or butler of a great household [syn: {major-domo}]