frérèche

French

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly a corruption of Old French frere +‎ -age with accenting added by scholars in, perhaps, the 16th century to inform proper pronunciation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fʁe.ʁɛʃ/

Noun

frérèche m (plural frérèches)

1. A social convention involving the joint ownership of a feudal estate by a group of brothers in a family.

Further reading

Jack Goody, The Development of the Family and Marriage in Europe (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983); David Herlihy, Medieval Households (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1985).