seneschal

Meaning

1. A steward, particularly (historical) one in charge of a medieval nobleman's estate.
2. (historical) An officer of the crown in late medieval and early modern France who served as a kind of governor and chief justice of the royal court in Normandy and Languedoc.

Synonyms

major-domo

butler

steward

maitre d’hotel

majordomo

captain

Lord High Steward

maitre d’

pantryman

headwaiter

Translations

sénéchal

senescal

senescal

Seneschall

majordom

siniscalco

mordomo

Truchsess

maggiordomo

dapifer

baljuw

drost

drossaard

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈsɛnəʃəl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: seneschal

In summary

From Middle English seneschal (recorded in English since 1393), from Old French seneschal, from Medieval Latin siniscalcus, from Frankish *siniskalk, from Proto-Germanic *siniskalkaz, from Proto-Germanic *siniz (“senior”) + *skalkaz (“servant”); latter term as in marshal. As an officer of the French crown, via French sénéchal.