English Meaning & Definitions
An agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on the land of a noble landowner.
- “Under the manorial system, the serf was legally tied to the soil and could not leave without the lord's permission.”
- “The medieval harvest relied heavily on the grueling labor of local serfs.”
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “serf”.
Derived from the Middle French word 'serf', which comes from the Latin 'servus', meaning 'slave' or 'servant'. During the medieval feudal period, the term specifically came to describe an agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on his lord's estate.
Think of a 'serf' as someone who serves on the turf (land) they cannot leave.
Frequently Asked Questions About “serf”
1. What is the meaning of “serf” in English?
In English, serf (noun) is defined as: “An agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on the land of a noble landowner.”.
2. How do you use “serf” in a sentence?
“Under the manorial system, the serf was legally tied to the soil and could not leave without the lord's permission.”
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “serf”?
Derived from the Middle French word 'serf', which comes from the Latin 'servus', meaning 'slave' or 'servant'. During the medieval feudal period, the term specifically came to describe an agricultural laborer bound under the feudal system to work on his lord's estate.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.