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Glite Dictionary
serfhood

serfhood

9.9
A condition where peasants are tied to the land and under a lord's control
  • noun
  • /ˈsɜrfˌhʊd/
translation icon : condición de siervo
  • During the feudal era, many peasants lived in a state of serfhood, bound to serve their lords.

Examples

  • In the historical novel, the author describes the struggles of a family trapped in serfhood on a vast estate.

  • She studied the concept of serfhood to understand the social hierarchies of medieval Europe.

  • If gentlemanliness was not a mere surface appearance but a natural essence, how was this essence to be manifested and distinguished from the interiorized serfhood that defined the feminine sphere in the nineteenth century?

    Academic text (1999)

Synonyms

servitude
vsserfhood
  • NSFW
31 8.9

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

is specifically the feudal social state rather than broad forced subjection
serfdom
vsserfhood
7 9.4

A system where peasants are legally tied to a lord's land and have few rights

is the general state rather than the organised system of obligations
villainage
vsserfhood
  • Archaic
9.9

A condition in which a farm worker must live and work on a lord's land and cannot leave

is the broader social condition not limited to one legal term
vassalage
vsserfhood
9.9

A system where people must serve and obey a lord

is more about the general unfree status than ties to a superior

Antonyms

independence
608 3.0

Freedom from control by others, for example when a country is free or a person supports themselves

freedom
489 1.1

Not having to do something a rule requires

Surface Forms

serfhood singular
serfhoods plural

Morphology

serfhood = serf (transparent) = serf + hood

Formed by the productive noun-forming suffix '-hood' meaning 'state or condition', so the meaning is directly derived from 'serf'.

Etymology

Serfhood comes from serf, which goes back to the Latin servus meaning 'slave', and the ending -hood, which means 'the state or condition of', as in childhood. So serfhood is the 'state of being a serf', or being tied to the land and under a lord's control.