wergilds
/ˈwɜrɡɪldz/
noun
- In early Germanic law, a sum of money paid by a person who has killed someone to the victim's family as compensation, to avoid a blood feud.
- In Anglo-Saxon England, the amount of a wergild depended on the social status of the victim.
- Historians study wergilds to understand how early societies valued human life.
- The family accepted the wergild instead of seeking revenge for their son's death.