merchet

/ (ˈmɜːtʃɪt) /

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noun

(in feudal England) a fine paid by a tenant, esp a villein, to his lord for allowing the marriage of his daughter

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Word Origin for merchet

C13: from Anglo-French, literally: market

Words nearby merchet

merchant marine, merchant navy, merchant of death, merchant prince, merchant seaman, merchet, merci, Mercia, Mercian, merci beaucoup, Mercier

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use merchet in a sentence

Even merchet, the most hateful of all the incidents of villeinage, is something more than a mere memory.
The Agrarian Problem in the Sixteenth Century|Richard Henry Tawney
He laboured under many disabilities, such as the merchet or fine for marrying his daughter, and fines for selling horse or ox.
A Short History of English Agriculture|W. H. R. Curtler
We often come across such base customs as the payment of merchet in connexion with the 'villain socmen' of ancient demesne.
Villainage in England|Paul Vinogradoff
Merchet was the most striking consequence of unfreedom, but manorial documents are wont to connect it with several others.
Villainage in England|Paul Vinogradoff

Merchet is especially interesting as illustrating the fusion of different duties into one.
Villainage in England|Paul Vinogradoff