A feudal tenure or land held on condition of military service rendered by few men; a form of lesser feudal obligation.
From Old English 'feaw' (few) plus 'mand' (from 'command' or feudal obligation). This is an archaic legal term from medieval England relating to feudal military service obligations, where landholders were required to provide a small number of armed men.
'Fewmand' is a ghost word from feudal history—it reveals how English landlord-tenant relationships were precisely categorized and quantified. Medieval legal terminology was incredibly specific because life literally depended on knowing exactly how many soldiers you owed your lord!
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