1. intermediate or middle in position, rank, or time; situated between two points or parties
Usage: chiefly legal or formal
2. (in law) relating to a lord who holds land from a superior lord and grants it to an inferior tenant
Usage: archaic; legal

Examples

• The mesne profits were awarded to the rightful owner during the period of unlawful occupation.
• A mesne lord occupied a middle position in the feudal hierarchy.
• The court issued a mesne injunction to preserve the status quo pending final judgment.
• Mesne process refers to intermediate steps in a legal proceeding.
• The mesne tenant owed obligations to both the superior lord and the inferior tenant.