noun
- Plural of cain; a type of rent or tribute paid in kind (especially in Scotland and Ireland), or a feudal due.
Usage: archaic; chiefly Scottish and Irish history
Examples
- Medieval Scottish tenants paid cains to their landlords in the form of grain and livestock.
- The cains system was a common method of collecting feudal obligations in rural Ireland.
- Historical records show that cains were often negotiated between lords and their vassals.