Definition of: villein

(vil′ən) noun
In the manorial system of feudal times, a member of any of the classes of freemen ranking below the thanes; more specifically, a free peasant ranking below a socman but above a cotter. By the 13th century the term villein was applied to a class of serfs who were regarded as freemen in respect to their legal relations with all persons except their lord, whose slaves they were.
—adjective Obs. Relating to villeins; low–born. ♦ Homophone: villain. [<AF, OF vilein, vilain. See VILLAIN.]