serf

[ surf ]
/ sɜrf /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR serf ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person in a condition of servitude, required to render services to a lord, commonly attached to the lord's land and transferred with it from one owner to another.
a slave.

Origin of serf

1475–85; < Middle French < Latin servus slave

OTHER WORDS FROM serf

serf·dom, serf·hood, serf·age, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH serf

serf surf

Words nearby serf

serene, serengeti, serenity, sereth, serevent, serf, serge, sergeant, sergeant at arms, sergeant at law, sergeant baker

Words related to serfdom

servitude, bondage, enthrallment, servility, thralldom, villeinage, thrall, labor, drudge, restraint, indenture, drudgery, yoke, enslavement, captivity, work, grind, toil, subjection, peonage

Example sentences from the Web for serfdom

British Dictionary definitions for serfdom

serf
/ (sɜːf) /

noun

(esp in medieval Europe) an unfree person, esp one bound to the land. If his lord sold the land, the serf was passed on to the new landlord

Derived forms of serf

serfdom or serfhood, noun serflike, adjective

Word Origin for serf

C15: from Old French, from Latin servus a slave; see serve

Cultural definitions for serfdom

serf

Under feudalism, a peasant bound to his lord's land and subject to his lord's will, but entitled to his lord's protection.