villein
1Villein — Vil lein, n. (Feudal Law) See {Villain}, 1. [1913 Webster] …
2villein — early 14c., spelling variant of VILLAIN (Cf. villain), referring to a feudal class of half free peasants …
3villein — [vil′ən] n. [ME: see VILLAIN] any of a class of feudal serfs who by the 13th cent. had become freemen in their legal relations to all except their lord, to whom they remained subject as slaves …
4Villein — The wealthiest class of peasant. They usually cultivate 20 40 Acres of land, often in isolated strips. A bondsman, a man bonded to the land that he worked. Villeins lived in villages, attached to a lord’s holdings, all but a slave. A lord who… …
5villein — UK [ˈvɪlən] / US / UK [ˈvɪleɪn] / US [vɪˈleɪn] noun [countable] Word forms villein : singular villein plural villeins a poor farm worker in the Middle Ages who was forced to work on the land of a very powerful person …
6villein — villain, villein The two spellings are forms of a single word with two branches, originally meaning either ‘a low born rustic’ or ‘a serf in the feudal system’ and derived from the Latin word villa meaning ‘country house or farm’. The spelling… …
7Villein — A man bonded to the land that he worked. Living in villages attached to a lord s holdings, they were virtual slaves and almost never given their freedom. The lord could do anything he wanted with them, except mutilate or kill them. Villeins… …
The writer's dictionary of science fiction, fantasy, horror and mythology
8villein — Villain Vil lain, n. [OE. vilein, F. vilain, LL. villanus, from villa a village, L. villa a farm. See {Villa}.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Feudal Law) One who holds lands by a base, or servile, tenure, or in villenage; a feudal tenant of the lowest class …
9Villein (feudal) — Villein (or villain ) was the term used in the feudal era to denote a peasant (tenant farmer) who was legally tied to the land he worked on. An alternative term is serf (from Latin servus = slave ). A villein could not leave the land without the… …
10villein in gross — A villein at large; that is, a villein who was annexed to the person of the lord as a sort of body servant. He was transferable by deed from one owner to another, but had no connection with the soil. See 2 Bl Comm 93 …
