Fromfief +-dom.
fiefdom (countable anduncountable,pluralfiefdoms)
- (historical) Theestate controlled by afeudallord.
- Synonym:fief
The duke'sfiefdom had been greatly expanded as a reward for his dutiful military service on behalf of the king.
1989,Robert Shea,The Saracen[1], The Holy War:"If you wish to offer any of my vassalsfiefdoms or positions in your new kingdom, they have my leave to accept. I promised them that when they came with me."
- (by extension, chiefly derogatory) Anyorganization in thecontrol of adominant individual.
2008, David Maraniss,First In His Class: A Biography Of Bill Clinton[2], Simon and Schuster,→ISBN:“[Bill Clinton] was just walking around, looking in all the offices, like he was surveying hisfiefdom. He had a big grin on his face.”
2012 April 23, Angelique Chrisafis, “François Hollande on top but far right scores record result in French election”, inThe Guardian[3]:Hollande told cheering supporters in his ruralfiefdom of Corrèze in south-west France that he was best-placed to lead France towards change, saying the vote marked a "rejection" of Sarkozy and a "sanction" against his five years in office.
2022 November 22, Dominic Rushe, “FTX was run as ‘personal fiefdom’ of Sam Bankman-Fried, court hears”, inThe Guardian[4]:Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX was run as the “personalfiefdom” of founder Sam Bankman-Fried, with one of the company’s units spending $300m on real estate in the Bahamas for the use of its executives, a court heard on Tuesday.
estate controlled by a feudal lord
organization in the control of a dominant individual
