feudalism

American  

[fyood-l-iz-uhm] / ˈfyud lˌɪz əm /

noun

1. the feudal system, or its principles and practices.

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feudalism British  

/ ˈfjuːdəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. Also called: feudal system.  the legal and social system that evolved in W Europe in the 8th and 9th centuries, in which vassals were protected and maintained by their lords, usually through the granting of fiefs, and were required to serve under them in war See also vassalage fief

2. any social system or society, such as medieval Japan or Ptolemaic Egypt, that resembles medieval European feudalism

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feudalism Cultural  

1. A system of obligations that bound lords and their subjects in Europe during much of the Middle Ages. In theory, the king owned all or most of the land and gave it to his leading nobles in return for their loyalty and military service. The nobles in turn held land that peasants, including serfs, were allowed to farm in return for the peasants' labor and a portion of their produce. Under feudalism, people were born with a permanent position in society. (See fief and vassal.)

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Discover More

Today, the word feudal is sometimes used as a general term for a set of social relationships that seems unprogressive or out of step with modern society.

Other Word Forms

• antifeudalism
  noun
• antifeudalist
  noun
• antifeudalistic
  adjective
• feudalist
  noun
• feudalistic
  adjective
• prefeudalism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of feudalism

First recorded in 1830–40; feudal ( def. ) + -ism

Explanation

Feudalism was a European political system in which a lord owned all the land while vassals and serfs farmed it. Feudalism ended in the 1400s. People who lived during feudalism didn't use the term feudalism. In fact, it wasn't until several centuries after this system ended that scholars coined the term feudalism. The ending -ism means "philosophy or system." And feudal comes from the Medieval Latin word feudalis, meaning "feudal estate," and is related to feodary, "one who holds lands of an overlord in exchange for service."

Example Sentences

Feudalism promoted the idea that if my God, my king, my community, my nation is great, I am great- an attitude that persists today and capitalism finds useful.

From Salon • Oct. 20, 2019

Feudalism was an economic system structured by customs and laws about “obligation”.

From The Guardian • Jul. 17, 2015

SamuelClemens @ Obviously you fail to see the beauty of the New Feudalism.

From Time • Feb. 5, 2013

Feudalism is a political system in which nobles, or lords, are granted the use of lands that legally belong to the king.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

Feudalism, too, had its proletariat—the villeinage—which contains all the germs of the middle class.

From The life and teaching of Karl Marx by Beer, M.

Related Words

• bondage
• captivity
• enslavement
• serfdom
• servitude
• subjugation