bond servant
Definition
Noun: A person legally bound to work for another without receiving wages, typically for a fixed period or until a debt is repaid. Historically, this status was often entered into through a contract (indenture) or as a form of debt servitude.
Usage
The term "bond servant" specifically refers to the individual in a state of unfree labor. It is a historical and legal term. - The colonial economy relied heavily on the labor of bond servants. - He entered a contract to become a bond servant for seven years in exchange for passage to the New World.
Advanced Usage
- The concept is central to discussions of indentured servitude, a system where a bond servant's labor was contracted for a specific term.
- It is distinct from chattel slavery, as a bond servant's condition was usually temporary and contractual, not permanent and hereditary.
Variants and Related Words
- Indentured servant: A more specific synonym for a bond servant bound by a formal contract (an indenture).
- Bondage (noun): The state of being a bond servant or slave.
- Bond (noun, in this context): The binding agreement or condition that creates the servitude.
Synonyms
- Indentured servant
- Bondsman
- Serf (though serfdom is tied to land, not a specific contract)
Related Phrases
- In bond: A state of being under obligation or servitude.
- He was held in bond until his debt was cleared.
Noun
-
someone bound to labor without wages
