a large agricultural estate, esp one worked by slaves in ancient Rome
Word origin
C17: from Latin lātus broad + fundus farm, estate
latifundium in American English
(ˌlætəˈfʌndiəm)
nounWord forms: pluralˌlatiˈfundia (ˌlætəˈfʌndiə)
a large landed estate, typically owned by an absentee landlord and worked by serfs, as in some Latin American countries
Word origin
L < latus, broad (see lateral) + fundus, estate, orig., bottom: see UNRESOLVED CROSS REF
Examples of 'latifundium' in a sentence
latifundium
In Chile it produced latifundia in the interior and some rudimentary manufacturing activity with owner/ worker relations in the towns.
Ramirez-Faria, Carlos The Origins of Economic Inequality between Nations: A critique of Western theorieson development and underdevelopment (1990)
It was weakest in the great latifundia lands of Extremadura, La Mancha and Andalucia, where a rural proletariat lived in desperate economic circumstances.
Shubert, Adrian A Social History of Modern Spain (1991)