AP'PANAGE, noun 1. Lands appropriated by a prince to the maintenance of his younger sons, as their patrimony; but on condition of the failure of male offspring, they were to revert to the donor or his heir. From the appanage it was customary for the sons to take their surnames. 2. Sustenance; means of nourishing. Wealth - the appanage of wit.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI