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Glite Dictionary
villainage

villainage

9.9
A condition in which a farm worker must live and work on a lord's land and cannot leave
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : villanía
  • During the Middle Ages, many peasants lived under villainage and could not leave the lord's land without permission.

Examples

  • The abolition of villainage marked a significant change in feudal society.

  • Documents from the era detail the strict rules governing the lives of those in villainage.

  • The system of villainage was prevalent in medieval England.

  • Many peasants lived under the harsh conditions of villainage.

  • During the Middle Ages, many peasants lived under villainage and could not leave the lord's land without permission.

  • The abolition of villainage marked a significant change in feudal society.

  • Documents from the era detail the strict rules governing the lives of those in villainage.

Synonyms

servitude
vsvillainage
  • NSFW
31 8.9

To be forced to work for and obey another person like a slave

is limited to a medieval legal condition rather than general forced subjection
villeinage
vsvillainage
  • Archaic
9.9

A peasant's state of holding land and having to work for a lord in medieval times

is about the legal condition of being bound to a lord not land details
serfhood
vsvillainage
9.9

A condition where peasants are tied to the land and under a lord's control

is the specific medieval legal status rather than a general feudal condition
vassalage
vsvillainage
9.9

A system where people must serve and obey a lord

is about legal bond tied to land rather than personal feudal obligations

Surface Forms

villainage singular
villainages plural

Etymology

Villainage comes from the old Latin words villanus and villa, which meant 'farm' or 'country house'. So villainage originally named the condition of villeins — people who lived and worked on a lord's land and could not leave, which is why it now means the legal condition of being a serf.