villain English · revision 23

+ ==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)

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+ 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)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}