Definition of WERGELD

wergeld

Meanings

Plural: wergelds

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, distinct from bloodwite.
  • Compensation thus determined and paid; a reparative payment.

Origin / Etymology

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

Synonyms

wer

Scrabble Score: 12

wergeld is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
wergeld is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
wergeld is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

wergeld is a valid Words With Friends word