Meanings
plural estovers
- archaicuncountableusuallyhistoryAn allowance provided from an estate for a person's support; an allowance of wood for repairs, firewood and fencing.
1 more example
Your husband was seised of only one carucate of land, to which was appurtenant house-bote and hay-bote to be taken in that wood for burning at only one hearth in his chief messuage ; and if you by reason of your third part could in that wood take house-bote and hay-bote at your pleasure, there would be taken house-bote and hay-bote and fuel for two hearths, whereas they were previously appendant to only one hearth: wherefore, estovers for house-bote &c. you can not have; and we paray judgment.
1873, Alfred John Horwood, Year Books of the Reign of King Edward the First: XXI-XXII - uncountableusuallyhistoryEstovers.
Origin
- Old Frenchestover“obligation”
- Middle Englishestovers pl
- Englishestover
From Middle English estovers pl, from Old French estover (“obligation”).
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
estover. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/estover
“estover.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/estover. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “estover,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/estover.
Source: estover on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.