Villaine
/ˈvɪlən/noun
An archaic spelling of villain, meaning a wicked or criminal person.
Did you know?The word started as a neutral social label for a peasant tied to a villa or estate, then morphed through medieval class prejudice into one of English’s darkest insults.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weik-
“to settle, live in a clan or dwelling”
Latin
Latin
vīlla
“country house, farm, estate”
Old French
Old French
vilain
“farm laborer, peasant; later base, uncouth person”
Middle English
English
villaine
“a peasant, serf, or base person”
Modern English
English
villain
“a wicked or morally reprehensible person”