peonage

[ pee-uh-nij ]
See synonyms for peonage on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the condition or service of a peon.

  2. the practice of holding persons in servitude or partial slavery, as to work off a debt or to serve a penal sentence.

Origin of peonage

1
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; peon1 + -age

Words Nearby peonage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use peonage in a sentence

  • Many of these acts betokened an intention on the part of the lawmakers to reduce the freedmen to a state of serfdom or peonage.

British Dictionary definitions for peonage

peonage

peonism (ˈpiːəˌnɪzəm)

/ (ˈpiːənɪdʒ) /


noun
  1. the state of being a peon

  2. a system in which a debtor must work for his creditor until the debt is paid off

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for peonage

peonage

[ (pee-uh-nij) ]


A system of forced labor based on debts incurred by workers. Peonage developed particularly in plantation economies, where employers forced laborers to buy from employer-owned stores, pay inflated prices, and stay in debt.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.