Merriam-Webster's Word Central

November 07, 2011

villain (noun): \VIL-un\
What does it mean?: 1 : a free peasant2 : an evil person : scoundrel
How do you use it?: When he took a closer look at the history of the Old West, Bruce discovered that one person's villain could be another person's hero.
Are you a word wiz?: Nowadays, we usually think of a "villain" as the "bad guy" in a story or play, and sometimes in real life. But the word had quite a journey before it ended up with this meaning. What do you think is the origin of "villain"?

A. It comes from the name of a germ which caused a plague.

B. It comes from an Old Norse word that meant "nasty."

C. It comes from the name of an author who wrote about cruel people.

D. It comes from a Latin word meaning "villager."

"Villain" started out as a product of the Latin word "villa," which first described a large country dwelling, and later meant "village." A "villanus," a peasant who lived in a village, became known as a "villain" or "vilein" in medieval France and England. Sometimes he was free, sometimes tied to property on which he worked that was owned by a lord. Because of the influence of the medieval aristocracy on language, "villain" and "vilein" took on the meaning of a rough person with poor manners. This unflattering image was carried over to the modern English "villain," finally developing into the scoundrel or criminal figure that comes to mind today.