villain

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Wikipedia

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Synonyms 1.3.2 Related terms 1.3.3 Translations 2 Finnish 2.1 Alternative forms 2.2 Noun

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

Probably Middle English villein from Old French villain (modern: vilain), in turn from Late Latin villanus, meaning serf or peasant, someone who is bound to the soil of a villa, which is to say, worked on the equivalent of a plantation in late Antiquity, in Italy or Gaul.

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: vɪlən
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}
• Rhymes: -ɪlən

[edit] Noun

villain (plural villains)

1. A vile, wicked person.
   1. An extremely depraved person, or one capable or guilty of great crimes.
   2. A deliberate scoundrel.
2. The bad person in a work of fiction; often the main antagonist of the hero.
3. (archaic) A villain was in a low level of medieval serfdom. A Cotter may have been lower.

[edit] Synonyms

• knave
• rascal
• scamp
• bad guy
• cad
• See also Wikisaurus:villain
• See also Wikisaurus:troublemaker

[edit] Related terms

• villainess

[edit] Translations

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[edit] Finnish

[edit] Alternative forms

• villojen

[edit] Noun

villain

1. Genitive plural form of villa.