bondman

[bond-muh n]

See more synonyms for bondman on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural bond·men.

a male slave.
a man bound to service without wages.
Old English Law. a villein or other unfree tenant.

Origin of bondman

First recorded in 1200–50, bondman is from the Middle English word bonde man. See bond², man¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for bondman

hostage, prisoner, slave, detainee, convict, con, bondwoman, internee, bondman, serf, liege, dependent, thrall, beneficiary, peasant, subordinate, varlet, tenant, subject, helot

Examples from the Web for bondman

Historical Examples of bondman

A bondman's change from the tyranny of another to the despotism of himself.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
I came a freeman into prison; I will not go forth a bondman.
Fox's Book of Martyrs
John Foxe
You had proof of my faith in you when I became your bondman.
The Weathercock
George Manville Fenn
The blows were the stripes which the master inflicts upon his bondman.
Watch and Wait
Oliver Optic
Henceforth he was the bondman of grace, the celebrant of grace.
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Galatians
G. G. Findlay

Word Origin and History for bondman

n.

mid-13c., "husband, husbandman," from Middle English bond (see bondage) + man (n.). Later, "man in bondage, slave" (mid-14c.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper