freedman
/'fri:dmæn/
Definition
Noun: A person who has been freed from slavery or servitude. Historically, this term specifically refers to a formerly enslaved person who has been granted legal freedom.
Examples
- After the Civil War, many freedmen sought to reunite with family members who had been sold away.
- The legal status of a freedman in ancient Rome was distinct from that of a citizen born free.
- Organizations were established to provide education and aid to freedmen and their families.
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in historical contexts, particularly concerning the period following the American Civil War (the Freedmen's Bureau) or in the study of ancient societies like Rome.
- The feminine form is freedwoman, and the plural can be freedmen (gender-neutral or male) or freedpeople (gender-neutral collective).
Variants and Related Words
- Freedwoman (n): A woman who has been freed from slavery.
- Freedpeople (n, plural): A collective term for men and women who have been freed from slavery.
- Emancipate (v): To set free, especially from legal, social, or political restrictions. (A freedman is a person who has been ).
- Manumission (n): The formal act of a slave owner freeing their enslaved people.
Synonyms
- Emancipated person
- Former slave
- Manumittee (a person who has been manumitted)
Antonyms
- Slave
- Bondsman
- Enslaved person
Related Phrases
- Freedman's Bureau: The popular name for the U.S. Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (1865-1872), established to aid freed slaves after the Civil War.
- Freedman's town: A historical term for settlements or neighborhoods established by and for freed African Americans, particularly in the post-Civil War southern United States.
Noun
-
a person who has been freed from slavery
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