"Steward or major-domo of a great estate; the official responsible for the estate's daily functioning, including sometimes responsibility for justice within the household. An AS seneschal was known as a *discthegn, i.e. a dish-thegn. [< Germ. seniskalkoz < seni = old + skalkoz = a servant] -
Cf. Pincerna
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.