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Where does the word "village" come from? It comes from Latin villa, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "village" come from? It comes from Latin villa, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Village’s story begins in Latin: villa meant “country house.” A Roman country estate with its farm buildings. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as village. The cluster of dwellings that grew around an estate. It reached English by 1300s as village. 'villain' shares the root, originally a peasant from such a settlement. Today, village means a small community in a rural area.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient villa "country house", a Roman country estate with its farm buildings.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval village "group of houses", the cluster of dwellings that grew around an estate.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s village "a small rural settlement", 'villain' shares the root, originally a peasant from such a settlement.