wergild

American  

[wur-gild, wer-] / ˈwɜr gɪld, ˈwɛr- /

Also wergeld

noun

1. (in Anglo-Saxon England and other Germanic countries)

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

3. 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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wergild British  

/ ˈwɜːˌɡɛld, ˈwɜːˌɡɪld, ˈwɛə-, ˈwɛə- /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of wergild

1175–1225; Middle English ( Scots ) weregylt, Old English wer ( e ) gild, equivalent to wer man (cognate with Gothic wair, Latin vir ) + gild geld ²; cognate with Middle Dutch weergelt, Old High German wergelt; see yield

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wergild

According to a document which probably dates from the 10th century, the wergild of an aetheling was fixed at 15,000 thrymsas, or 11,250 shillings.

From The Project Gutenberg Encyclopedia Volume 1 of 28 by Project Gutenberg

Then the troll begged for his life and said: "Dear Silverwhite, I will take wergild for my brothers, only bid your dogs be still, so that we may talk."

From The Swedish Fairy Book by Various

In the second year Biargey again urged Howard to try for a wergild.

From Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race by M. I. (Maud Isabel) Ebbutt

Each man's life had a certain "wergild" or money value.

From The Leading Facts of English History by D. H. (David Henry) Montgomery

Such rudimentary wergild was often reckoned in wampum, or strings of beads made of a kind of mussel shell, and put to divers uses, as personal ornament, mnemonic record, and finally money.

From The Discovery of America Vol. 1 (of 2) with some account of Ancient America and the Spanish Conquest by John Fiske