fiefdom

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English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology[edit]

fief +‎ -dom

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈfiːf.dəm/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -iːfdəm

Noun[edit]

fiefdom (countable and uncountable, plural fiefdoms)

  1. (historical) The estate controlled by a feudal lord.
    Synonym: fief
    The duke's fiefdom had been greatly expanded as a reward for his dutiful military service on behalf of the king.
    • 1989, Robert Shea, The Saracen[1], The Holy War:
      "If you wish to offer any of my vassals fiefdoms or positions in your new kingdom, they have my leave to accept. I promised them that when they came with me."
  2. (by extension, chiefly derogatory) Any organization in the control of a dominant individual.
    • 2008, David Maraniss, First In His Class: A Biography Of Bill Clinton[2], Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:
      “[Bill Clinton] was just walking around, looking in all the offices, like he was surveying his fiefdom. He had a big grin on his face.”
    • 2012 April 23, Angelique Chrisafis, “François Hollande on top but far right scores record result in French election”, in The Guardian[3]:
      Hollande told cheering supporters in his rural fiefdom of Corrèze in south-west France that he was best-placed to lead France towards change, saying the vote marked a "rejection" of Sarkozy and a "sanction" against his five years in office.
    • 2022 November 22, Dominic Rushe, “FTX was run as ‘personal fiefdom’ of Sam Bankman-Fried, court hears”, in The Guardian[4]:
      Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX was run as the “personal fiefdom” of founder Sam Bankman-Fried, with one of the company’s units spending $300m on real estate in the Bahamas for the use of its executives, a court heard on Tuesday.

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