: the right in Anglo-Saxon and early English law to hold court and administer justice with the franchise to receive certain fees or fines arising from it : jurisdiction over a territory or over people
2
: the district included in a soke jurisdiction or franchise
Word History
Etymology
Middle English soc, soke, from Old English soka, from Medieval Latin soca, from Old English sōcn inquiry, jurisdiction; akin to Old English sēcan to seek