seneschal

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The Word of the Day for January 2 is:

seneschal   \SEN-uh-shul\   noun
     : an agent or steward in charge of a lord's estate in feudal times

Example sentence:
      The king's seneschal grew nervous awaiting his master's return, even 
though he knew he had prepared the palace to perfection.

Did you know?
      In the days of knights and fair damsels, the seneschal was the principal 
administrator in a noble household. French nobility held the office in high 
regard in medieval times, and it was from the French that English speakers 
borrowed the term (although it is of Germanic origin) in the 14th century. For 
a time, "seneschal" was also used to refer to a governor or judicial officer, 
but that sense is now rare except in places such as the island of Sark in the 
English Channel, where the title is still used. Elsewhere, the importance of 
seneschals at court gradually declined, and now both the office and most 
references to the office are limited to historical contexts.