Villein
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A feudal tenant, a serf. historical
"If any burgess be appealed of a plea whereon wager of battle may issue by a villein or outdweller , let him defend himself by oath, that is to say by the 36 men, unless he is challenged in respect of a crime that the law requires him to defend by battle, in no case ought a burgess to fight against a villein if he have challenged him unless before the dispute he shall have quitted the burgage."
- 2 (Middle Ages) a person who is bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord wordnet
Example
More examples"If any burgess be appealed of a plea whereon wager of battle may issue by a villein or outdweller , let him defend himself by oath, that is to say by the 36 men, unless he is challenged in respect of a crime that the law requires him to defend by battle, in no case ought a burgess to fight against a villein if he have challenged him unless before the dispute he shall have quitted the burgage."
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman vilein, variant of vilain; from Medieval Latin villanus (“field hand”), from Latin villa (“country home”). Doublet of villain.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.