wergeld

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun

Blood money, the monetary value assigned to a person, set according to their rank, used to determine the compensation paid by the perpetrator of a crime to the victim in the case of injury or to the victim's kindred in the case of homicide; such a reparative payment or compensation.

/ˈwɛəɡɛld/ /ˈweɹɡɛld/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-wergeld.wav

wergeld wergelds wehrgeld weregeld weregild were gild wergelt wergild

Learned borrowing from Old English werġeld, wereġeld (“compensation for a man killed”), from Proto-West Germanic *werageld. More at wer, geld.

wer

blood money Lex Frisionum

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