TANISTRY
Etymology
Noun
tanistry (usually uncountable, plural tanistries)
(historical) A form of tenure, in ancient Scotland and Ireland, whereby succession was passed to an elected member of the same extended family.
Source: Wiktionary
Tan"ist*ry, n. Etym: [See Tanist.]
Definition: In Ireland, a tenure of family lands by which the proprietor had only a life estate, to which he was admitted by election.
Note: The primitive intention seems to have been that the inheritance should descend to the oldest or most worthy of the blood and name of the deceased. This was, in reality, giving it to the strongest; and the practice often occasioned bloody feuds in families, for which reason it was abolished under James I.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
12 January 2025
HABIT
(noun) (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition; “owls have nocturnal habits”; “she had a habit twirling the ends of her hair”; “long use had hardened him to it”
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