Maisnie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A lord's household, including the servants, attendants and followers who lived and travelled with him in medieval times
2. The body of retainers and servants forming a noble or knight's household, often serving as an armed escort
3. The company of household members and attendants who served and accompanied a feudal lord or wealthy master

Etymology: "Maisnie" (also spelled "meinie" or "meiny") is a Middle English word for a lord's household: the family, servants, retainers and armed followers who lived and travelled with him. It entered English from Anglo-Norman "maisnee" or Old French "mesnie," meaning a household or a band of people living together under one roof. The French word traces to Latin "mansionata," a derivative of "mansio," meaning a dwelling or staying place, which is also the source of "mansion." The sense of a household that moved about with its master is worth noticing. In medieval England, a great lord's household was a mobile unit, and the word captured people bound together by service and residence rather than by blood alone. Its original root, a place to stay, shows how closely the idea of a household was tied to the idea of a dwelling. The word survived into modern English mainly in historical and literary contexts, and it is most familiar from Middle English and Scots writing, where "meinie" could also denote a band of companions or a retinue in a broader sense.

Synonyms: household, retinue, meinie