serf

American  

[surf] / sɜrf /

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.

   Synonyms:

   peasant, villein, vassal

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.

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

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serf British  

/ 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

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serf Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

• serfdom
  noun
• serflike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of serf

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

Explanation

A serf is a person who is forced to work on a plot of land, especially during the medieval period when Europe practiced feudalism, when a few lords owned all the land and everyone else had to toil on it. In Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries, large plots of land were ruled by lords who made serfs work the land for the lords’ profit. The Latin root of the word is servus, which literally means “slave,” but serf and slave are not synonyms. There were many kinds of serfs, some of which were indeed slaves, but others were more like employees who had some limited freedom. Either way, a serf’s life was a brutal and unpleasant life.

Example Sentences

As for the grunge, there were plenty of oversized printed tees with designs by California-based graffiti artists Mint and Serf.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2022

Through multiple witness accounts and surveillance footage from that night, Las Vegas Police determined that one group was standing outside the Serf when Padilla’s group exited the venue.

From Washington Times • Jun. 25, 2020

Barbara was her stage name - she had been born Monique Serf in Paris in 1930.

From BBC • Jan. 22, 2013

Serf labor ran factories in regions around Moscow and St. Petersburg.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

Lord St. Serf sent an old-fashioned little ring in a much worn velvet case, and the elder brother, Lord Lomond, an album for photographs.

From The Marriage of Elinor by Oliphant, Mrs. (Margaret)