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Webster 1913 Edition
Tanist
Tan′ist
,Noun.
[Ir.
tanaiste
, tanaise
, second, the second person in rank, the presumptive or apparent heir to a prince.] In Ireland, a lord or proprietor of a tract of land or of a castle, elected by a family, under the system of tanistry.
This family [the O’Hanlons] were
tanists
of a large territory within the present county of Armagh. M. A. Lower.
Webster 1828 Edition
Tanist
TAN'IST
,Noun.
Among the descendants of the Celts in Ireland, a lord, or the proprietor of a tract of land; a governor or captain. This office or rank was elective, and often obtained by purchase or bribery.