serf
noun
ˈsərf 
: a member of a servile feudal class bound to the land and subject to the will of its owner
serfage
ˈsər-fij
noun 
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from French, going back to Old French, "servant, serf," going back to Late Latin servus (in the phrase servus Deī "servant of God"), going back to Latin, "slave" — more at serve entry 1
First Known Use
1611, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
serf
noun
ˈsərf
: a servant or laborer of olden times who was treated as part of the land worked on and went along with the land if it was sold
serfs
noun
as in slaves
a person in the past who belonged to a low social class and who lived and worked on land owned by another person Medieval serfs who tended land owned by a lord. Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- slaves
- servants
- helots
- bondmen
- chattels
- bondsmen
- thralls
- menials
- bondwomen
- lackeys
- handmaidens
- domestics
- bondswomen
- handmaids
- drudges
- bond servants
- indentured servants
- odalisques
- attendants
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- freedmen
- freemen
- freedwomen