Where does “villain” come from?
Villain comes from Old French vilein, from Old French vilain, ultimately from Latin -anus, a suffix forming adjectives from nouns denoting place or origin.
villain (English): A vile, wicked person; In fiction, a character...
Definitions
- A vile, wicked person; In fiction, a character...
Ancestry of “villain”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | vilein | villain |
| 2 | Old French | vilein | Alternative form of vilain; villain |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | villanus | villager |
| 4 | Latin | vīlla | country house; villa |
| 5 | Latin | vetera | the old; old times, ancient times, antiquity |
| 6 | Latin | vetus | old, aged, elderly, ancient; long-standing;... |
| 7 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |