feudal system
1
7.8
- noun
- /ˈfjuːdəl ˈsɪstəm/
:
sistema feudal
- The feudal system in medieval Europe created a hierarchy where lords granted land to vassals in exchange for service.
Examples
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The old feudal system is abolished, a Postal Service and hospitals are set up and a new tax system introduced.
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As with other provinces in the Empire, it was administered through a strict feudal system and class order.
Academic text (2015) -
We have what is known as a feudal system, like in the Middle Ages.
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As a result, it ended the feudal system, opening the door for the Renaissance.
Blog text (7) -
The feudal system of Japan will cease.
Academic text (2016) -
The medieval feudal system could be described as a kind of complex pecking order.
Blog text (20) -
"One student offered, "Knights were one part of the feudal system," and another offered, "Knights were the warrior class of the feudal system.
Academic text (2000) -
The contemporary assumption of retributive justice has a medieval counterpart in the feudal system.
Academic text (2001) -
I follow R. W. Southern's description of the feudal system and how Anselm's image reflects his feudal worldview.
Academic text (2001) -
Grassroots networks have influenced policy in the past, usually over many decades, as in Kerala, where an organized peasant movement against the feudal system initiated in the mid-19th century had a major impact over time.
Academic text (2003)
Synonyms
4
7.9
A system in medieval Europe in which lords give land to people who fight for them in return for loyalty
How Hierarchical
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'feudal' (pertaining to feudalism) describes the type of 'system' (an organized social/economic structure), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to the social/economic order of feudalism. This adjective+noun pattern is regular and has clear cross-linguistic counterparts, making the phrase immediately interpretable for learners who know the parts.
Etymology
Feudal system comes from the Middle Ages in Europe, when kings gave land called a 'fief' to lords, and those lords let knights and peasants live on and work the land in return for 'service' and 'loyalty'. So it describes a social order where land and 'protection' are exchanged for 'service' or work.