wergeld

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[edit] English

[edit] Alternative forms

[edit] Etymology

Middle English wergeld, from Old English wergeld, compound of wer (man), + geld (payment).

[edit] Noun

wergeld (plural wergelds)

  1. (archaic) In Anglo-Saxon and Frisian customary law, a reparative payment, usually demanded by the surviving kindred of a person guilty of homicide, according to the victim's rank.
  2. (paganism) recompense. In current usage in Heathenry.
    The wergild she wants is a night with Balder, to beget his child, but he refuses. (Winifred Hodge)

[edit] Translations

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967
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