villeinage

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

[ vil-uh-nij ]
See synonyms for villeinage on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the tenure by which a villein held land and tenements from a lord.

  2. the condition or status of a villein.

Origin of villeinage

1
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. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for villeinage

villeinage

villainage

/ (ˈvɪlənɪdʒ) /


noun(in medieval Europe)
  1. the status and condition of a villein

  2. 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