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vil·lain

(vĭlən)

1. A wicked or evil person; a scoundrel.

2. A dramatic or fictional character who is typically at odds with the hero.

3. (also vĭlān′, vĭ-lān) Variant of villein.

4. Something said to be the cause of particular trouble or an evil: poverty, the villain in the increase of crime.

5. Obsolete A peasant regarded as vile and brutish.

[Middle English vilein, feudal serf, person of coarse feelings, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *vīllānus, feudal serf, from Latin vīlla, country house; see weik-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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