Definition

Noun: A woman who has been released from a state of slavery or servitude; a female former slave who has gained her liberty.

Usage

The term is used to specifically denote a woman who was once enslaved but is now legally free. It is a historical and legal term, often found in contexts discussing emancipation, manumission, or post-Civil War history.

Examples

• After the Emancipation Proclamation, she began a new life as a freedwoman.
• The will of the plantation owner granted liberty to several enslaved individuals, making them freedmen and freedwomen.
• As a freedwoman, she sought to reunite with family members who had been sold to other states.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in contrast with "freedman" to specify gender in historical records and demographic studies.
• It can appear in academic discussions about the social and economic challenges faced by newly liberated people in the 19th century.

Variants and Related Words

• Freedman (noun): A man who has been freed from slavery.
• Freedperson (noun): A gender-neutral term for a person freed from slavery.
• Manumission (noun): The formal act of freeing a slave.
• Emancipation (noun): The process of being set free from legal, social, or political restrictions; liberation.

Synonyms

• Emancipated woman
• Liberated woman (in the specific context of manumission from slavery)
• Former slave (a more general term)

Antonyms

• Slave
• Bondwoman
• Enslaved woman

Noun

1. a person who has been freed from slavery