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freeman

freeman

35 9.5
A person who is not a slave and has full legal rights
  • noun
  • /ˈfriːmən/
  • Archaic
translation icon : hombre libre
  • The story tells of a freeman who fought for his rights against oppression.

You're indignant that a slave answered back to you, and a freeman too, and your wife and a client.

Examples

  • During medieval times, a freeman was someone who could live independently and was not bound to a lord.

  • Without it, man nowhere rises to the dignity of a freeman.

    Academic text (2016)
  • I am a Freeman of the City of London, as a matter of fact.

  • Before I came to you, I was a freeman.

  • You see, he believes that every Freeman should own the land he works.

  • Django here is a Freeman.

  • You're indignant that a slave answered back to you, and a freeman too, and your wife and a client.

  • We are great because of the genius of pioneer white freeman who settled this continent dared the might of kings and made the wilderness a home of freedom.

  • In the past, a freeman had the right to vote and own land.

Synonyms

freeperson
vsfreeman
  • Archaic
9.3

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

refers specifically to a man with full legal rights in historical contexts

Antonyms

746 3.4

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

19 9.4

A person in the Middle Ages who must work a lord's land and cannot leave

How Free

freeman
  • Archaic
35 9.5
tenant
248 3.0
villein
  • Archaic
1 9.9
slave
746 3.4

Surface Forms

freeman singular
freemen plural

Morphology

freeman = free + man (transparent) = free + man

Meaning is directly composed from 'free' + 'man' and is readily inferable by learners as 'a man who is free'.

Etymology

The word freeman comes from old English parts free and man, where free means 'not a slave' and man means 'person'. So a freeman was originally someone with personal freedom and legal rights, not a slave.