Alfet

Alfet

An alfet (Old English: ālfæt, "fire vat") was an ancient cauldron filled with boiling water, into which an accused person was to plunge his arm up to his elbow. The arm and hand were then bound and left for three days. If the wound was found to have begun to heal cleanly the person was judged to be innocent. However, if the scald was infected or unhealed, the victim was held to be guilty. It was also used for purgation.

References

  •  This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain.
  • Charles Dufresne, Sieur Du Cange, Glossarium mediæ et infimæ Latinitatis. 1840–50; 1883–87.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Alfet — Al fet, n. [LL. alfetum, fr. AS. [=a]lf[ae]t a pot to boil in; [=a]l burning + f[ae]t vat.] A caldron of boiling water into which an accused person plunged his forearm as a test of innocence or guilt. [1913 Webster] || …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • alfet — /aelfat/ A cauldron into which boiling water was poured, in which a criminal plunged his arm up to the elbow, and there held it for some time, as an ordeal …   Black's law dictionary

  • alfet — /aelfat/ A cauldron into which boiling water was poured, in which a criminal plunged his arm up to the elbow, and there held it for some time, as an ordeal …   Black's law dictionary

  • alfet — A container for hot water used in the ordeal by water …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • alfet — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Jack Steinberger — Infobox Scientist name = Jack Steinberger box width = imagesize =150px caption = Jack Steinberger birth date = May 25, 1921 (age 87) birth place = Bad Kissingen nationality = Germany United States ethnicity = field = Physics known for = Discovery …   Wikipedia

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