manor

noun

man·​or ˈma-nər 

1

a

: the house or hall of an estate : mansion

b

: a landed estate

2

a

: a unit of English rural territorial organization

especially : such a unit in the Middle Ages consisting of an estate under a lord enjoying a variety of rights over land and tenants including the right to hold court

b

: a tract of land in North America occupied by tenants who pay a fixed rent in money or kind to the proprietor

manorial

mə-ˈnȯr-ē-əl 

adjective

Phrases

to the manor born

: born into circumstances of wealth and privilege

was to the manor born but as a politician he acquired some proletarian touches

—Albert Scardino

Synonyms

• castle
• château
• estate
• hacienda
• hall
• manor house
• manse
• mansion
• palace
• villa

Examples of manor in a Sentence

the old family manor has 117 rooms

Recent Examples on the Web

If the place looks familiar, that’s because its sophisticated architecture appeared in the Keira Knightley film The Duchess (2008) before standing as the exterior of the Featherington clan’s family manor. —Tomris Laffly, EW.com, 14 June 2024

For more than a week after D-Day, the forested, 1,235-acre area dotted with cow pastures and manors in the region of Morbihan transitioned into a training camp. —Ségolène Le Stradic, New York Times, 5 June 2024

This nine-acre country house resort evokes the South of France with 10 guest rooms and an uber-luxe 2,000-square-foot manor. —Carrie Dennis, Travel + Leisure, 26 May 2024

Situated at the outskirts of the European country’s capital city, Vilnius, the park boasts greenery, forests and a large old manor. Excavations at the park in 2008 uncovered a dozen graves and artifacts from medieval times, the museum said. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 17 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English maner, from Old French manoir, from manoir to sojourn, dwell, from Latin manēre — more at mansion

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing manor

• manor house
• to the manor born

Kids Definition

manor

noun

man·​or ˈman-ər 

: a usually large estate

especially : one granted to a feudal lord

manorial

mə-ˈnōr-ē-əl 

-ˈnȯr-

adjective