Outlawerie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of being placed beyond the protection of the law, or the lawless behaviour that such a condition involves
2. Lawlessness, or the status of a person who has been declared beyond legal protection and stripped of civil rights
3. An archaic term for the condition of being cast out from the law, or for the banditry and disorder that followed from it

Etymology: Outlawerie began as a legal condition before it meant a way of life. An outlaw was a person formally placed outside the king's protection, so that anyone could harm them without penalty. The base word comes from Old Norse "útlagi," formed from "út" (out) and "lagi" (law, from "lag"), which English took up in Old English as "utlaga." Medieval English courts used "outlawry" for the legal process that declared someone outside the law, and the word's earlier sense was about that status rather than about crime. The ending "-erie" comes from Old French "-erie," which marks a practice, a condition, or a collective. English shares it with "robbery," which comes from the same French suffix attached to "robe" in the sense of stealing. Middle English speakers therefore could use "outlawerie" for the state of being an outlaw, for the lawless conduct associated with outlaws, or for a band living outside the law. Its use is attested in Middle English, but the exact early dates and contexts are best checked in the Middle English Dictionary.