serf

[ surf ]
See synonyms for: serfserfsserfdom on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a person in a condition of feudal servitude, required to render services to a lord, commonly attached to the lord's land and transferred with it from one owner to another.

  2. a worker who is underpaid, overworked, or otherwise exploited: Today's service-sector serfs are fighting for the most basic of job perks: a decent paycheck, a stable schedule, and paid time off when they are sick.

  1. Obsolete. a person held in bondage or slavery.

Origin of serf

1
First recorded in 1475–85; from Old French, from Latin servus “slave”

Other words for serf

Other words from serf

  • serf·dom [surf-duhm] /ˈsɜrf dəm/ noun

Words that may be confused with serf

Words Nearby serf

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

How to use serf in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for serf

serf

/ (sɜːf) /


noun
  1. (esp in medieval Europe) an unfree person, esp one bound to the land. If his lord sold the land, the serf was passed on to the new landlord

Origin of serf

1
C15: from Old French, from Latin servus a slave; see serve

Derived forms of serf

  • serfdom or serfhood, noun
  • serflike, adjective

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 serf

serf

Under feudalism, a peasant bound to his lord's land and subject to his lord's will, but entitled to his lord's protection.

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.