Vehmen.

Etymology: < German Feme, †Vehme, †Fehme (end of the 15th cent. as feime ) < Middle Low German vēme secret tribunal, cognate with Middle Dutch vēme , veem , Dutch veem , further etymology uncertain and disputed. Compare post-classical Latin vehma secret tribunal (1252 in a German source), which probably implies early currency of the Middle Low German noun. Compare earlier Vehmgericht n., Vehmic adj.Further etymology. It has been suggested that the original sense of the Dutch and Middle Low German nouns may have been ‘fellowship’ (compare the derived verbs Old Frisian forfēma to deprive (a person) of his or her civic rights, Middle High German vervemen to condemn (a person) (German verfemen to proscribe, to ostracize (a person)), but this is not generally accepted. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the Germanic nouns may be related to the Germanic base of foe n. and feud n.¹ Although some dictionaries enter Middle High German veme, veime rigorous punishment (especially capital punishment), Middle Low German vēme action of declaring a person an outlaw (of uncertain origin), under the same headword as the ‘secret tribunal’ nouns, it is unclear whether the two groups of nouns ultimately share the same etymology. Pronunciation. The pronunciation with initial /v/ is a spelling pronunciation; the German etymon is pronounced with /f-/.