Legal Definitions - novigild

Definition: Novigild (noh-və-gild), n. [from Latin novem “nine” + Anglo-Saxon gid or geld “a payment”] is a historical term that refers to the amount of money a person had to pay for damaging another person's property. The amount of novigild was equal to nine times the purchase price of the damaged property.

For instance, if someone damaged a horse worth $100, they would have to pay $900 as novigild to the owner of the horse. Similarly, if someone damaged a house worth $10,000, they would have to pay $90,000 as novigild to the owner of the house.

These examples illustrate how novigild was calculated based on the purchase price of the damaged property. The amount of novigild was significant and acted as a deterrent to prevent people from damaging other people's property.