wergild

[ wur-gild, wer- ]

/ ˈwɜr gɪld, ˈwɛr- /

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noun

(in Anglo-Saxon England and other Germanic countries)

money paid to the relatives of a murder victim in compensation for loss and to prevent a blood feud.

the amount of money fixed as compensation for the murder or disablement of a person, computed on the basis of rank.

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Also wer·geld

[wur-geld, wer-], /ˈwɜr gɛld, ˈwɛr-/, weregild.

Origin of wergild

1175–1225; Middle English (Scots ) weregylt,Old English wer(e)gild, equivalent to wer man (cognate with Gothic wair,Latin vir) + gildgeld²; cognate with Middle Dutch weergelt,Old High German wergelt;see yield

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wergild in a sentence

The churl should not have the same wergeld as the thane because he is lowborn.
Creative Intelligence|John Dewey, Addison W. Moore, Harold Chapman Brown, George H. Mead, Boyd H. Bode, Henry Waldgrave, Stuart James, Hayden Tufts, Horace M. Kallen
But it may be regarded as extremely probable that the normal wergeld of the freeman was originally a hundred head of cattle.
The Heroic Age|H. Munro Chadwick
The sums awarded as Wergeld were large, and were reckoned according to the slain mans rank.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
If the fee or wergeld of the burggrave has been adjudged to him in court, it must be paid to him within six weeks.
A Source Book for Mediaeval History|Oliver J. Thatcher

Incest is punishable by payment of one's wergeld or a fine or forfeiture of all his possessions.
Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed.|S. A. Reilly

British Dictionary definitions for wergild

wergild

weregild wergeld (ˈwɜːˌɡɛld, ˈwɛə-)

/ (ˈwɜːˌɡɪld, ˈwɛə-) /

noun

the price set on a man's life in successive Anglo-Saxon and Germanic law codes, to be paid as compensation by his slayer

Word Origin for wergild

Old English wergeld, from wer man (related to Old Norse ver, Latin vir) + gield tribute (related to Gothic gild, Old High German gelt payment); see yield

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