Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In old English law, a duty of two shillings on every tun of wine imported into England by foreigners or merchant strangers: so called because originally paid to the king's butler for the king.
- noun The office of butler; butlership.
- noun The butler's department in a household.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (O. Eng. Law) A duty of two shillings on every tun of wine imported into England by merchant strangers; -- so called because paid to the king's butler for the king.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun law, archaic A
duty formerly paid to theking 'sbutler on everytun ofwine imported intoEngland byforeign merchants .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
butler + -age
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Examples
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In like manner the Duke of Grafton was indemnified in 1806 for loss incurred through the resumption of the "prisage and butlerage" of wines; nor was Lord Gwydir permitted to suffer by the compulsory surrender of his lease in the mooring-chains.
The Corporation of London, Its Rights and Privileges William Ferneley Allen
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