noun
serfdom
SURF-dəm
Serfdom (noun) means the condition of a serf: a form of bondage under feudalism in which a peasant was tied to a lord's estate, owed labour and dues, and could not leave without permission. Example: “Serfdom was abolished in Russia in 1861.”
noun
1
The condition of a serf: a form of bondage under feudalism in which a peasant was tied to a lord's estate, owed labour and dues, and could not leave without permission.
"Serfdom was abolished in Russia in 1861."
"Under serfdom a peasant's obligations passed to his children."
2
Any condition of servitude or powerless dependence, used figuratively.
"He described the contract as a kind of corporate serfdom."
How to use serfdom
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBeing legally tied to a landowner's estate and forced to work it.
When to use it
Historical and formal; the figurative use is rhetorical.
Memory tip
Feudalism is the whole social and military system; serfdom is only the peasants' place within it.
Trace the full origin ↓
Easily confused with
Common pairings
the abolition of serfdom
reduced to serfdom
under serfdom
wage serfdom
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_____ was abolished in Russia in 1861.
Etymology
From serf, borrowed from French serf, from Latin servus 'slave', plus the English suffix -dom denoting a condition or state.
Synonyms
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Related words
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between serfdom and slavery?
A slave was owned outright as property and could be bought and sold as an individual. A serf was legally bound to the land rather than to a person, kept a household and a plot to work, and passed with the estate if it changed hands. Serfs had customary rights and duties, but in practice their freedom was severely limited.
When did serfdom end?
It ended at very different times across Europe. It had largely faded in England by the sixteenth century, was abolished in France in 1789, in the Austrian Empire in stages from 1781, and in Russia by the emancipation edict of 1861.
What did serfs actually have to do?
They worked their own plots to feed themselves and owed the lord set days of labour on his land, along with dues in produce or money and fees for using the mill, oven and other manorial facilities. They also needed permission to marry outside the manor or to leave it.
What is the meaning of serfdom?
"serfdom" (noun) means the condition of a serf: a form of bondage under feudalism in which a peasant was tied to a lord's estate, owed labour and dues, and could not leave without permission.
