infangthief
English
Alternative forms
- infang (shortened)
- infangthef, infangenthef
- infangentheof
Etymology
From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English infangthef, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old English infangeneþēof (“infangthief”), from in- + fangen (“siezed, taken”) + þēof (“thief”). See also infang.[1]
Pronunciation
Noun
infangthief (uncountable)
- (historical, law) A privilege of some feudal lords permitting them to execute summary judgment upon thieves captured within their estates, sometimes restricted to the lord's tenants or men and sometimes limited to those caught in flagrante delicto.
- 1964, Anthony Burgess, The Eve of St Venus:
- The wrought-iron gates (infangthief and outfangthief in heavy balls on the gate-posts) were open for their hard-breathing entry.
- 1964, Anthony Burgess, The Eve of St Venus:
See also
References
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1st ed. "infangthief, n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1900.