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Glite Dictionary
freedman

freedman

3 8.4
A man who was no longer a slave
  • noun
  • /ˈfridˌmæn/
translation icon : liberto
  • The Union School, for example, held classes in a small log cabin owned by freedman Robert Parrish, who allowed the students to occupy his cramped home while he worked during the day.
  • freedman, free negro
  • the Freedman's Bureau

Well, you couldn't have a gun if you were a black, even a Freedman before the Civil War.

Examples

  • The freedman has had his chains removed by others.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The first teacher, a freedman named E. Milner, could only recite the alphabet.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The freedman is not yet a free man, or not a free man in full.

    Academic text (2002)

  • I think it would be fair to say that the freedman's condition is the birthright of every American.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Freedman Peter Rogers emerged from the Civil War penniless and desperate for work.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Adolescent Ann Elizabeth Freeman lived with freedman Robert Dowell for more than two years following her emancipation.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Freedman James Sumter fatally wounded his former employer following a disagreement over unpaid wages.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Pliny the Elder describes how a Roman freedman on an Arabian trade voyage was swept across the ocean for 15 days, finally making landfall in Sri Lanka.

    Academic text (2010)

  • After years of hard work, the freedman built a new life for himself and his family.

  • In the community, the freedman shared stories of his past experiences as a slave.

Synonyms

freeman
vsfreedman
  • Archaic
35 9.5

A person who is not a slave and has full legal rights

refers to a man released from slavery rather than one born free
freedperson
vsfreedman
8.4

A person who used to be a slave and no longer is one

is the male-specific term for that formerly enslaved person
mawali
vsfreedman
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who used to be a slave and is now officially free

is a male released from slavery rather than a formal legal category
freeperson
vsfreedman
  • Archaic
9.3

A person who is not a slave and can own land and live freely

refers to a man released from slavery rather than general free status

Antonyms

slave
746 3.4

A person legally owned by someone else who must work without pay or freedom

bondservant
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who must work for another person by law, often like a servant in the past

Surface Forms

freedman singular
freedmen plural

Morphology

freedman = freed + man (transparent) = freed + man

Compositional combination of the adjective 'freed' (released) and 'man', meaning 'a man who has been released from slavery', which is directly inferable.

Etymology

Freedman comes from freed (the past of free, 'set free') and man ('person'). It was used for a man who had been released from slavery, so today freedman means a man who was once a slave but is now free.