neif

N1E1I1F4
/niːf//neɪf/

noun

A woman born in the state of serfdom; a female serf.

OriginAnglo-Norman neif m ← Latin nātīvus m →
Scrabble 7
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Meanings

neif1

nounneif (plural neifs)

plural neifs · alternative neife · alternative nief

  1. historicalA 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

neif2

nounneif (plural neifs)

plural neifs

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of nief (“fist”).

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
farmer

Origin

  1. Latinnātīvus m
  2. Anglo-Normanneif m
  3. Englishneif

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

More words from Anglo-Norman, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with neif

safebriefreliefralphbeliefbeefreefgriefthiefmotifunsafeserifTenerifeTAFERafesifmassifsheafkifdebriefliefchafestrafefief
All rhymes →

Anagrams

finefeinnifefeniEnifnief
Cite this entry
APA

neif. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neif

MLA

“neif.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neif. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “neif,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/neif.

Source: neif on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.