wergild
(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.
Origin of wergild
1- Also wer·geld [wur-geld, wer-], /ˈwɜr gɛld, ˈwɛr-/, weregild.
Words Nearby wergild
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use wergild in a sentence
Within the ceorlisc class we find similar subdivisions, though they were not marked by a difference in wergild.
This step is taken when the State compels the parties to enter into an agreement on the basis of the wergild.
Elements of Folk Psychology | Wilhelm WundtWith the institution of wergild the entire matter becomes one of civil law.
Elements of Folk Psychology | Wilhelm WundtHe is thus far a person that he has a small wergild but possibly he is bound to the soil.
Domesday Book and Beyond | Frederic William MaitlandWe may have thegns who are nobodys thegns, or else we may have persons entitled to the thegnly wergild who yet are not thegns.
Domesday Book and Beyond | Frederic William Maitland
British Dictionary definitions for wergild
weregild wergeld (ˈwɜːˌɡɛld, ˈwɛə-)
/ (ˈwɜːˌɡɪld, ˈwɛə-) /
the price set on a man's life in successive Anglo-Saxon and Germanic law codes, to be paid as compensation by his slayer
Origin of wergild
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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