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serfdom

serfdom

7 9.4
A system where peasants are legally tied to a lord's land and have few rights
  • noun
  • /ˈsɜrfdəm/
translation icon : servidumbre
  • Living in serfdom meant that the peasants could not leave the land they worked on without permission.
  • the road to serfdom

Except in England, where we didn't really have feudalism and serfdom, what we had was, well, English Yeoman.

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Examples

  • The document calls for an uprising to end autocracy, serfdom and conscription.

  • Basic democratic liberties include freedom from forms of subordination such as serfdom and forced labor, along with freedom of expression, assembly, and association.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Whereas serfdom fundamentally is about binding people to the land.

  • The sons of serfs had but one choice: serfdom for themselves and their children.

    Blog text (27)
  • Serfdom is a feudal practice.

  • Many Aari families could not pay the fine due to their impoverishment under serfdom.

    Academic text (1994)
  • While serfdom still existed in large parts of Europe, the free British were carrying out the great commercial and industrial revolutions that gave birth to the modern world.

  • The reaction of many peasants to the end of serfdom in 1861 was either negative or confusing.

    Academic text (1996)
  • China then abolished feudalism and serfdom and instituted communes in agricultural and pastoral areas.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The Ethiopian populations who lived in serfdom areas were more affected by leba shay practices than those who inhabited the peripheries.

    Academic text (1994)

Synonyms

servitude
vsserfdom
  • NSFW
31 8.9

To be forced to work for and obey another person like a slave

is narrower, describing feudal land-bound status rather than general forced labor
serfhood
vsserfdom
9.9

A condition where peasants are tied to the land and under a lord's control

is the same idea but differs only in word form
vassalage
vsserfdom
9.9

A system where people must serve and obey a lord

focuses on being tied to work on a lord's land with limited rights

Antonyms

1.0

The right to act, speak, or think as you want without being stopped

429 3.3

Being free from unfair rules or control by government

How Free

freedom
1.0
serfdom
7 9.4
servitude
  • NSFW
31 8.9
slave labour
  • NSFW
20 4.4
slavery
225 4.8

Surface Forms

serfdom singular
serfdoms plural

Morphology

serfdom = serf (transparent) = serf + dom

The noun denotes the state or condition associated with 'serf' formed by the productive suffix '-dom', so the meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

Serfdom comes from serf, from an old word meaning 'slave', and the ending -dom, which means 'state' or 'condition' as in freedom. So, serfdom is the 'state' of being a serf, tied to a lord's land with few rights.