murdrum
Americannoun
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the killing of a human being in a secret manner.
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the fine payable to the king by the hundred where such a killing occurred, unless the killer was produced or the victim proved to be a Saxon.
Etymology
Origin of murdrum
< Medieval Latin < Old French murdre murder
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the so-called "Laws of Edward the Confessor" it is stated that the murdrum fine originated in the reign of Canute.
From Project Gutenberg
No fine if the defunct is English: "Pro Anglico vero et de quo constari possit quod Anglicus sit, non dabitur murdrum."
From Project Gutenberg
Whoy," said Mr. Saddletree, delighted at having for once in his life seen his wife's attention arrested by a topic of legal discussion—"Whoy, there are two sorts of murdrum or murdragium, or what you populariter et vulgariser call murther.
From Project Gutenberg
The answer to "Quod est murdrum" was a thrilling revelation of what the Norman Conquest was and was not.
From Project Gutenberg
Also, the entire hundred was the ultimate surety for murder and would have to pay a "murdrum" fine.
From Project Gutenberg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
