Meanings
alternative infang · alternative infangthef · alternative infangenthef · alternative infangentheof
- historicaluncountablelawA privilege of some feudal lords permitting them to execute summary judgment upon thieves captured within their estates, sometimes restricted to the lord's tenants or men and sometimes limited to those caught in flagrante delicto.
The wrought-iron gates (infangthief and outfangthief in heavy balls on the gate-posts) were open for their hard-breathing entry.
1964, Anthony Burgess, The Eve of St Venus
Origin
- Old Englishinfangeneþēof“infangthief”
- Middle Englishinfangthef
- Englishinfangthief
From Middle English infangthef, from Old English infangeneþēof (“infangthief”), from in- + fangen (“seized, taken”) + þēof (“thief”). See also infang.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
infangthief. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infangthief
“infangthief.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infangthief. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “infangthief,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infangthief.
Source: infangthief on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.