appanage
|ap-an-age|
🇺🇸
/ˈæp(ə)nɪdʒ/
🇬🇧
/ˈæp(ə)nɑːʒ/
grant for maintenance
Etymology
'appanage' originates from French, specifically the word 'apanage', where that French term derived from Medieval Latin 'appanaticum' (or 'apanagium'), in which the root element relates to provision or maintenance.
'appanage' changed from Medieval Latin 'appanaticum' / 'apanagium' into Old/Middle French 'apanage', and it was borrowed into English as 'appanage' in the late Middle English/early modern period.
Initially it meant 'a provision or maintenance (sustenance) provided to a younger member of a ruling family', and over time it evolved to mean more specifically 'a grant of land, income, or privilege attached to a royal person or office'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a grant (of land, income, or revenue) made by a sovereign to a younger child or member of the royal family to provide for their maintenance.
The duke received an appanage from the crown to secure his livelihood.
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Noun 2
a privilege, emolument, or right attached to an office or position; an appurtenance.
The use of the manor became an appanage of the seneschal's office.
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Last updated: 2025/09/23 08:00