TAN'IST, noun [Gr. a lord, to be powerful or able; Latin teneo.] Among the descendants of the Celts in Ireland, a lord, or the proprietor of a tract of land; a governor or captain. This office or rank was elective, and often obtained by purchase or bribery.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI