bondsman
/ˈbɒn(d)zmən
/noun (plural bondsmen)
1A person who stands surety for a bond.Due diligence on the part of the bondsman is required....
- As bail bondsmen know, just about everyone has some money that they can fork over to free themselves from a tight spot.
- Normally, it can go to a surety company which is sort of like a high-class bail bondsman.
2 archaic A slave.These people were mostly Mahorans, African slaves and bondsmen, Malagasy, and Comoreans from other islands in the archipelago....
- Traders also sought to provide slaves with external reputations, by changing the physical appearance of the bondsmen through altered diets and better clothing.
- It is entirely possible that he began life tied to the land, since at least one letter in the Paston collection accuses him of being a peasant bondsman.
Origin
Early 18th century: sense 1 from bond + man; sense 2 is a variant of Middle English bondman, from obsolete bond 'serf' (see also bondage).