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
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.
