Definition

1. Noun:
   • A female slave: A woman who is legally owned by another person and forced to work without freedom or personal rights.
   • A female bound to serve without wages: A woman who is obligated to work for another, typically under a contract or indenture, without receiving a salary.
   • Someone who signs a bond as surety for someone else: A woman who provides a formal, legally binding promise (a bond) to be responsible for another person's debt or obligation if that person fails to meet it.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Female Slave):

  • The historical records documented the life of a bondswoman on the plantation.
  • She was captured and sold into servitude as a bondswoman.

• Noun (Female Indentured Servant):

  • In the 18th century, she arrived in the colonies as a bondswoman, required to work for seven years to pay for her passage.
  • The contract specified her duties as a bondswoman in the household.

• Noun (Female Surety):

  • The court required a bondswoman to guarantee the defendant's appearance at trial.
  • Her aunt acted as the bondswoman for her business loan.

Advanced Usage

• Legal and Historical Context: The term "bondswoman" is primarily used in historical, legal, or literary contexts to describe these specific roles of servitude or financial guarantee. Its modern equivalent for the surety meaning is often "surety" or "guarantor."
• "Enter into bond as a bondswoman": To formally become a surety by signing a bond.
  • She agreed to enter into bond as a bondswoman for her brother's company.

Variants and Related Words

• Bondman (noun): The male equivalent for all definitions (a male slave, indentured servant, or surety).
• Bondservant (noun): A gender-neutral term for a person bound to serve.
• Bondage (noun): The state of being a slave or serf; lack of freedom.
• Indenture (noun): A formal contract binding an apprentice to a master or a servant to work for a set period.

Synonyms

• Female Slave: Enslaved woman, thrall.
• Female Indentured Servant: Indentured woman, debt servant.
• Female Surety: Guarantor, sponsor, underwriter.

Related Phrases

• Stand bond as a bondswoman: To act as a surety by providing a bond.
  • She was asked to stand bond as a bondswoman for the accused.
• Hold in bondservice: To keep someone in a state of servitude.
  • The law forbade holding anyone in bondservice.

Noun

1. a female slave
2. a female bound to serve without wages
3. someone who signs a bond as surety for someone else