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1. An Anglo-Saxon legal system in which units or tithings composed of ten households were formed, in each of which members were held responsible for one another's conduct.
2. A member of a unit in frankpledge.
[Middle Englishfrankplegge, fromAnglo-Normanfrauncpledge : Old Frenchfranc, free, frank; see FRANK1 + Old Frenchplege, pledge; see PLEDGE.]
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.