villeinage

or vil·lain·age, vil·lan·age, vil·len·age

[ vil-uh-nij ]

/ ˈvɪl ə nɪdʒ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR villeinage ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the tenure by which a villein held land and tenements from a lord.

the condition or status of a villein.

Words nearby villeinage

villavicencio, ville-de-paris, villeda morales, villein, villein socage, villeinage, villella, villeneuve, villeurbanne, villi, villiers

Origin of villeinage

1275–1325; Middle English vilenage < Anglo-French, Old French. See villein, -age

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for villeinage

Against a background of villeinage and week-work, the borough begins to stand out as the scene of burgage tenure.
Domesday Book and Beyond|Frederic William Maitland
In Scotland they had just been emancipated from the status of villeinage.
Recent Developments in European Thought|Various
We have watched them shake off many of the restrictions imposed by villeinage and build up considerable properties.
The Agrarian Problem in the Sixteenth Century|Richard Henry Tawney
Meanwhile, one great portion of our villeinage in our larger towns we have much mitigated.
Harold, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Britton, who wrote in the reign of Edward I., thus describes this tenure under the name of Villeinage.
Legal Lore|Various

British Dictionary definitions for villeinage

villeinage

villainage

/ (ˈvɪlənɪdʒ) /

noun (in medieval Europe)

the status and condition of a villein

the tenure by which a villein held his land

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

villeinage

or vil·lain·age, vil·lan·age, vil·len·age

noun

Words related to villeinage

Words nearby villeinage

Origin of villeinage

Examples from the Web for villeinage

British Dictionary definitions for villeinage

villainage

noun (in medieval Europe)