helotry

[ hel-uh-tree, hee-luh- ]
/ ˈhɛl ə tri, ˈhi lə- /

noun

serfdom; slavery.
helots collectively.

Origin of helotry

First recorded in 1820–30; Helot + -ry

Example sentences from the Web for helotry

  • The State is but a gigantic Sparta, in which the helotry are marked by an indelible difference of color and race from the masters.

    The Civil War in America |William Howard Russell
  • But, after all, their State is a modern Sparta—an aristocracy resting on a helotry, and with nothing else to rest upon.

    The Civil War in America |William Howard Russell
  • But, after all, their state is a modern Sparta—an aristocracy resting on a helotry, and with nothing else to rest upon.

    Pictures of Southern Life |William Howard Russell

British Dictionary definitions for helotry

helotry
/ (ˈhɛlətrɪ, ˈhiː-) /

noun

serfdom or slavery
serfs or slaves as a class