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Definition of peonage - 4 dictionary results

pe⋅on⋅age

  [pee-uh-nij]
Use peonage in a Sentence
–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:
1840–50, Americanism; peon 1 + -age
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pe·on·age   (pē'ə-nĭj)   
n.  

  1. The condition of being a peon.

  2. A system by which debtors are bound in servitude to their creditors until their debts are paid.

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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Cultural Dictionary

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 American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: pe·on·age
Pronunciation: 'pE-&-nij
Function: noun
: labor in a condition of servitude to extinguish a debt peonage is abolished and forever prohibited —U.S. Code>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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