Editing Weregild (section)

== Etymology and terminology ==
The compound noun weregild means "remuneration for a man", from [[Proto-Germanic]] {{lang|gem-x-proto|*wira-}} "man, human" and {{lang|gem-x-proto|*geld-a-}} "retaliation, remuneration".{{sfn|Haubrichs|2021|p=94}} In the south Germanic area, this is the most common term used to mean "payment for killing a man" (Old High German {{lang|goh|werigelt}}, Langobardic {{lang|lng|wergelt}}, Old English {{lang|ang|wer(e)gild}}), whereas in the North Germanic area, the more common term is [[Old Norse]] {{lang|non|mangæld}}, with the same meaning.{{sfn|Schmidt-Wiegand|2010e|pp=914-915}}{{sfn|Haubrichs|2021|p=94}} Wolfgang Haubrichs argues that wergild is "undoubtably a [[West Germanic]] word" which spread throughout the various Germanic-speaking peoples, but which in the north was replaced with {{lang|non|mangæld}} since the meaning of the element "wer-" had been forgotten; comparable replacement words such as {{lang|lng|wider-geld}} ("repayment") are known from the south.{{sfn|Haubrichs|2021|p=107}}

Several alternative terms are also found, such as {{lang|la|leodis}} ("man") and {{lang|la|leodardi}} ("violation of a man") in the [[Lex Salica]],{{sfn|Haubrichs|2021|pp=96-99}} and the short from {{lang|ang|wer(e)}} in Old English.{{sfn|Schmidt-Wiegand|2010e|p=915}} Both of these terms appear to derive from a word meaning the subject harmed taking on the meaning of the payment for that harm.{{sfn|Haubrichs|2021|pp=107-108}}