Dictionary

neif en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /neɪf/
• /niːf/

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman neif m, niefe f (“native, serf”), from Latin nātīvus m, nātīva f (“native”). Doublet of naïf and native.

Meanings

1. (historical) A woman born in the state of serfdom; a female serf.
   • Neifs indeed had also an appeal of rape, in case the lord violated them by force 1765–1769, William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, (please specify |book=I to IV), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC:

Forms

neif en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /neɪf/
• /niːf/

Meanings

1. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative spelling of nief (“fist”).
   alt of nief

Forms