Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “vilain” come from?

vilain (Old French) comes from Late Latin villanus, from Latin vīlla, from Latin vetera, from Latin vetus, from Latin -tus, from Proto-Italic -tus, from Proto-Indo-European -tus — Derives action nouns from verb roots.

vilain (Old French): peasant; commoner

Definitions

  1. peasant; commoner

Ancestry of “vilain”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Late Latinvillanusfarm worker; A villein: a serf or low-class farm...
2Latinvīlla—
3Latinveterathe old; old times, ancient times, antiquity
4Latinvetusold, aged, elderly, ancient; long-standing;...
5Latin-tusForms the past participle of verbs; Forms...
6Proto-Italic-tus—
7Proto-Indo-European-tusDerives action nouns from verb roots

Words derived from “vilain”

  • villain
  • villein
  • villeinage
  • villainess
  • villenage
  • supervillain
  • archvillain
  • villainize
  • villainization
  • villainry
  • archvillainess
  • Bond villain
  • villainism
  • nonvillain
  • villainise
  • outvillain
  • villainhood
  • ultravillain
  • supervillainess
  • vilenie
  • super-vilain
  • vilain
  • vilein
  • villein
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tus →