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

serfdom

-dəm 

noun

Etymology

from French serf "a tenant bound to a certain piece of land," from early French, from Latin servus "slave, servant" — related to servant