serfdom

UK /ˈsɜːfdəm/ US /ˈsɝfdəm/ Syllables: serf-dom

Pronunciation

Noun B1 Intermediate Neutral

A historical system in which peasants were legally bound to work on land owned by a lord.

Serfdom was a system in which peasants called serfs were tied to land owned by a lord. A serf could not leave the land freely and had to work for the lord, often giving part of the harvest and many days of labor each week. In return the serf was usually allowed to farm a small plot. Serfdom is most closely linked with medieval Europe. The word is also used loosely for any condition of forced work or lost freedom, as in industrial serfdom. Close words are servitude, bondage and vassalage. The opposite is freedom. The person is a serf, and an older word for the condition is serfage.

"Serfdom in the region wasn't abolished until the nineteenth century."

Meanings

The condition of being a serf, bound to the land and to work for a lord.
The feudal system that includes serfs.
Any condition of forced labor or lost freedom.

Example sentences

"Serfdom ended in many parts of Europe by the 1800s."

Level B2, Meaning 1
"Under serfdom, peasants could not leave the estate."

Level B2, Meaning 1
"The historian wrote about the end of serfdom."

Level B2, Meaning 1
"He compared the long hours to serfdom."

Level C1, Meaning 3
"Serfdom tied families to the same land for generations."

Level C1, Meaning 1

Look-alikes and common mistakes

serf : A serf is a person bound to the land. Serfdom is the system or condition.
slavery : A serf was tied to land and owed work to a lord. A slave was owned as property. Both lacked freedom.
surf : Surf is waves breaking on a shore, or the act of riding them. It sounds like the start of serfdom.
feudalism : Feudalism is the wider system of land and loyalty in medieval Europe. Serfdom is the position of the peasants within it.

Word family and forms

Forms: serfdoms

serf serfage serfhood

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "serfdom".

medieval serfdom
abolish serfdom
the end of serfdom
feudal serfdom
freed from serfdom
industrial serfdom

Origin

Serfdom is made from serf plus the ending dom, which names a state or condition, as in kingdom. A serf was a person bound to the land. English formed the word from these two parts.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Serfdom is serf plus dom, the way kingdom is king plus dom. It is the state of being a serf.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "_____ ended in many parts of Europe by the 1800s."

Answer: serfdom

In your own words, what does "serfdom" mean?