villain English · revision 143

5 Oct 2026, 22:05 by bogdan “Add pronunciation, sense history, timeline, meanings, word family, related words” current version
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+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ˈvɪl.ən/^(Wiktionary)
+ 
  ==Etymology==
  From [[enm|vilein]], ''vilain'',^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate) [[bor|fro|vilein|t=peasant, farmer, commoner]],^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) [[der|la-med|villānus|t=farmhand]],^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) [[der|la|villa|t=country house, farm]].^(Etymonline)^(AHD)
  
− First used c. 1300 as an insult, “base or low-born rustic”; the sense “feudal serf” is recorded by the late 14th century, “scoundrel” by the mid-16th century,^(Etymonline) and “wicked character in a novel or play” from 1822.^(Etymonline) Doublet of [[villein]].^(Wiktionary)^(OED 1989)
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ An insult, “base or low-born rustic” (c. 1300);^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) the word is found as a surname from the late 12th century.^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ Properly the word meant a bondsman of the lowest unfree class under feudalism, a sense recorded by the late 14th century;^(Etymonline) hence, in contempt, “one low-born, lacking a gentleman's manners”.^(Etymonline) By the mid-16th century it had sharpened to “scoundrel”,^(Etymonline) which was sometimes used playfully or affectionately.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The sense “evil character in a novel or play” dates from 1822,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and in slang a ''villain'' is a professional criminal (1960).^(OED 1989) Both French ''vilain'' and English ''villain'' are now used only in a pejorative sense.^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Timeline==
+ * late 12th century – as a surname.^(Etymonline)
+ * c. 1300 – an insult, “base-born rustic”.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)
+ * late 14th century – “feudal serf”.^(Etymonline)
+ * mid-16th century – “scoundrel”.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1590 – used playfully.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1822 – the evil character in a play or novel.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)
+ * 1960 – slang, “professional criminal”.^(OED 1989)
+ 
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # A wicked person; a scoundrel or criminal.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # A character in a story who opposes the hero.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # Someone or something blamed for a particular trouble.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)
+ # ''(archaic)'' A villein, a feudal serf.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[subvillain]]
+ * [[villainy]]
+ * [[villainess]]
+ 
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[villein]]
+ * [[villa]]
  
  ==References==