Fief - Encyclopedia

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES

FIEF, a feudal estate in land, land held from a superior (see Feudalism). The word is the French form, which is represented in Medieval Latin as feudum or feodum, and in English as " fee " or " feu " (see FEE). The A.Fr. feoffer, to invest with a fief or fee, has given the English law terms" f coffee " and " feoffment " (q.v.).