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Printed from https://writing.com/main/books/action/view/entry_id/903798
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Rated: E · Book · Educational · #2105953
One hundred facts that are interesting but ultimately useless.
#903798 added February 2, 2017 at 3:10pm
Restrictions: None
"Hero" & "Villain"
"Hero" & "Villain"
- etymology -

The word "villain" can be traced through Middle English and Old French to the Latin word "villanus", which referred to a serf or feudal farmer, especially someone who worked the land of a "villa".

Over time, the definition shifted to mean "a person of low class", then "a person of low morals", until it finally arrived at its modern version, "a person with evil intent".

The word "hero" is even older, deriving from Old French, Latin, and ultimately Ancient Greek, where a "heros" was a warrior (or even a demi-god) who had achieved great renown.


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