Apanage (Noun)
Meaning 1
Any customary and rightful perquisite appropriate to your station in life; "for thousands of years the chair was an appanage of state and dignity rather than an article of ordinary use".
Classification
Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession.
Examples
- A private yacht can be considered an apanage of the extremely wealthy elite.
- Luxurious villas and personal assistants are seen as an apanage of some high-ranking officials.
- A high-end luxury car is often considered the apanage of successful businesspeople.
- In some countries, a lifetime of government-funded housing is an apanage of retired high-ranking public officials.
- The right to appoint bishops and other high-ranking clergy was once considered an apanage of royal and noble families.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
A grant (by a sovereign or a legislative body) of resources to maintain a dependent member of a ruling family; "bishoprics were received as appanages for the younger sons of great families".
Classification
Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession.
Examples
- Throughout history the monarch would often grant apanage to a younger sibling or relative, securing their place in society.
- Traditionally, bishoprics were received as appanages for the younger sons of great families, offering them a position of power.
- In the feudal system, apanages were given to members of the royal family, covering their expenses and maintaining their titles.
- Certain nobility were rewarded with an apanage as a token of gratitude and a symbol of the royal family's appreciation.
- By endowing the lands with a grant of apanage, the ruling family could establish themselves in that area indefinitely.