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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Seneschal \Sen"es*chal\, noun [OF. seneschal, LL. seniscalcus, of Teutonic origin; cf. Goth. sineigs old, skalks, OHG. scalch, AS. scealc. Cf. {Senior}, {Marshal}.] An officer in the houses of princes and dignitaries, in the Middle Ages, who had the superintendence of feasts and domestic ceremonies; a steward. Sometimes the seneschal had the dispensing of justice, and was given high military commands.
Then marshaled feast Served up in hall with sewers and seneschale. --Milton.
Philip Augustus, by a famous ordinance in 1190, first established royal courts of justice, held by the officers called baitiffs, or seneschals, who acted as the king's lieutenants in his demains. --Hallam.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
seneschal
noun: the chief steward or butler of a great household [syn: {major-domo}]
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