vaheperemeest

Vaheperemeest is a historical Estonian term that refers to an intermediary figure who managed property on behalf of a landowner. The word is not common in contemporary usage and is mainly encountered in older texts and scholarly works.

Origin and meaning: It is formed from vahe- "between, intermediary" and peremees "master, owner." In feudal Estonia, a vaheperemeest could be appointed to oversee an estate, supervise tenants, oversee agricultural work, collect rents, and execute orders when the owner was away or unable to govern directly. The precise duties likely varied.

Usage and attestation: The term appears in a small number of historical documents, legal charters, or translations from Germanic records where Baltic estates were administered. It should be treated as archaic or dialectal; not a standard term in modern Estonian.

Modern perspective: In contemporary Estonian the concept would be described with more common words for steward or administrator, and vaheperemeest is mainly of interest to linguists and historians studying land tenure or Baltic German influence on Estonian administration.

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