soken

Meanings

1. The ancient right (usually conferred by royalty) to hold a local court of justice and levy specific fees and fines.
2. The 'resort' (right) of specific farmers to have their grain ground at a specific mill or, inversely, the right of a mill to that custom.
3. A right of prosecution and judgement.
4. The area over which this right was established.
5. A place that is regularly frequented.

Etymology

From Middle English sookne, socne (“district held by a socage”), from Old English sōcn (“jurisdiction, prosecution, soke”, literally “act of seeking”), from Proto-West Germanic *sōkni, from Proto-Germanic *sōkniz (“seeking, inquiry”), from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂g-. Akin to Gothic 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌽𐍃 (sōkns, “controversy”), Old English sacu (“legal case, dispute”), sēcan (“to seek”), Swedish socken (“parish”), Danish sogn (“parish”), Norwegian sokn (“parish”). More at sake, seek, soke. See also Medieval Latin sōca (“right of jurisdiction”), English soke.