serfhood
/'sə:fidʤ/ Cách viết khác : (serfdom) /'sə:fdəm/ (serfhood) /'sə:fhud/
Definition
Noun: - The state or condition of being a serf: This refers to the legal and social status of a person bound to a lord's land and required to perform labor. It describes the system or the personal condition of servitude. - The class or group consisting of serfs: It can also refer collectively to serfs as a social class.
Examples of Usage
- The abolition of serfhood in that kingdom marked a major social revolution.
- He was born into serfhood and spent his entire life working on the same estate.
- Historians study the economic implications of medieval serfhood.
Advanced Usage
- "the yoke of serfhood": a metaphorical phrase describing the oppressive nature of the condition.
- The peasants finally threw off the yoke of serfhood.
- Used in historical and sociological analyses to discuss systems of unfree labor.
- The transition from serfhood to a free peasantry was a complex process.
Variants and Related Words
- Serfdom (n): A more common synonym with identical meaning (the state of being a serf).
- Serf (n): The individual person in a condition of serfhood.
- Villeinage (n): A specific, historical form of serfhood in medieval England.
Synonyms
- Bondage: The state of being a slave or serf.
- Servitude: The condition of being a slave or completely subject to someone more powerful.
- Thralldom/Thraldom: The state of being in someone's power; bondage.
Related Phrases
- Condition of servitude: A formal phrase for a state of being bound to serve.
- Feudal servitude: Specifies the servile condition within the feudal system.
Related Idioms
- In bondage to the land: Describes the lack of freedom inherent in serfhood.
- For generations, his family lived in bondage to the land.
Noun
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the state of a serf
