vil·lein also vil·lain (v
l
n, -
n
, v-ln)
n.
One of a class of feudal serfs who held the legal status of freemen in their dealings with all people except their lord.
[Middle English vilein; see villain.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
