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helotism

 - 2 dictionary results

hel⋅ot⋅ism

  [hel-uh-tiz-uhm, hee-luh-]
Use helotism in a Sentence
–noun
1. the state or quality of being a helot; serfdom.
2. Ecology. the subordinate organisms in an unequal symbiotic relationship.
Origin:
1815–25; helot + -ism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To helotism
hel·ot·ism   (hěl'ə-tĭz'əm)   
n.  

  1. A system under which a nominally free social class or a religious, national, or racial minority is permanently oppressed and degraded.

  2. A type of symbiosis, as among certain ants, in which one species is dominant and makes the members of another species perform the tasks required for their mutual survival.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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