villanus

Latin

Etymology

From vīlla +‎ -ānus (adjectival suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /u̯iːlˈlaː.nus/, [u̯iːlˈlʲäːnʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /vilˈla.nus/, [vilˈläːnus]

Noun

vīllānus m (genitive vīllānī); second declension (Late Latin, Vulgar Latin, Medieval Latin)

1. A villein: a serf or low-class farm worker.
2. A villager or other rural resident (opposed to burgensis).
   • 1878, William Charles Smith, "Borough" in the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., Vol. IV, p. 62:

     The burgensis, or inhabitant of a walled town, was opposed to villanus, or inhabitant of the villa, or open town.

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	vīllānus	vīllānī
Genitive	vīllānī	vīllānōrum
Dative	vīllānō	vīllānīs
Accusative	vīllānum	vīllānōs
Ablative	vīllānō	vīllānīs
Vocative	vīllāne	vīllānī

Descendants

• Italian: villano
• Old French: vilain, vilein
  • French: vilain
  • → Middle English: villein
    • English: villein, villain
• Old Occitan:
  • Catalan: vilà
  • Occitan: vilan
• Old Galician-Portuguese: vilão
  • Galician: vilán
  • Portuguese: vilão
• Piedmontese: vilan
• Spanish: villano