Where does “villainy” come from?
Villainy comes from English villein, from Middle French -ie, from Latin -ia, from Latin -ivus, from Latin -ia, from Proto-Indo-European -kos.
villainy (English): Evil or wicked character or behaviour; A wicked...
Definitions
- Evil or wicked character or behaviour; A wicked...
Ancestry of “villainy”, step by step
villainy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English villain
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | villain | A vile, wicked person; In fiction, a character... |
| 2 | Middle English | vilein | villain |
| 3 | Old French | vilein | Alternative form of vilain; villain |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | villanus | villager |
| 5 | Latin | vīlla | country house; villa |
| 6 | Latin | vetera | the old; old times, ancient times, antiquity |
| 7 | Latin | vetus | old, aged, elderly, ancient; long-standing;... |
| 8 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |