wergeld
/ˈwɛrɡɛld/
noun
- Alternative spelling of weregild: a sum of money paid as compensation for a killing in early Germanic law.
- Paying wergeld was a way to prevent endless cycles of revenge between families.
- The old legal text specified the wergeld for different classes of people.
- The amount of wergeld depended on the victim's rank and status in the community.
Synonyms