An old term for a penalty, fine, or something forfeited; a type of legal punishment or loss (archaic).
From Old Norse 'forfall' and Old English 'for-' (away) + 'fallen' (to fall, fail). This legal term evolved in medieval English when Norse and English law systems interacted, referring to things that 'fall away' from a person's ownership as punishment.
In medieval law, 'forfalt' and related terms created an entire vocabulary around loss—of property, rights, and status. These words show how medieval society thought about punishment: not just imprisonment, but the removal of your place in the community.
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