Feudation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The process or act of granting land or establishing a feudal bond between a lord and vassal
2. The creation of a feudal system or the arrangement of property and obligations under feudal tenure
3. The establishment of feudal relationships involving land tenure and mutual obligations between overlord and dependent

Etymology: Feudation is the act of granting land in return for service, or the system by which land was held that way. It is built from "feud," an old word for a fief, the estate held from a lord in exchange for loyalty and duty, plus the suffix "-ation," which turns a verb into a noun for an action or process. The land sense of "feud" comes from a Medieval Latin term, "feodum," which came from a Germanic root meaning cattle or movable property. That root also gave English "fee," so a fee and a fief are close relatives. The more familiar "feud," meaning a long, bitter quarrel, is a different word. It comes from a Germanic term for enmity, and it reached English through Medieval Latin, so the two senses are separate words that happen to look identical.

Synonyms: feudalism