colonus

[ kuh-loh-nuhs ]

/ kəˈloʊ nəs /

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noun, plural co·lo·ni

[kuh-loh-nahy, -nee]. /kəˈloʊ naɪ, -ni/.

a serf in the latter period of the Roman Empire or in the early feudal period.

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Origin of colonus

First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin colōnus “inhabitant of a colony, tenant farmer, farmer,” derivative of colere “to inhabit, till, cultivate”; cf. cult, cultivate

How to use colonus in a sentence

The best coloni,' he says, 'are those which are indigeni, born on the estate and bound by hereditary ties to it.'
The English Village Community|Frederic Seebohm
The only other class mentioned in the charter was that of the accol, the word used for 'free coloni' in the Bavarian laws.
The English Village Community|Frederic Seebohm
Concerning the freemen of the Church who are called 'coloni,' let all pay to the Church just as the coloni of the king.
The English Village Community|Frederic Seebohm
In this respect they resembled very closely the Roman 'coloni' on a private villa.
The English Village Community|Frederic Seebohm

They most likely sank into the ordinary condition of the large class of 'coloni,' &c., on the great provincial estates.
The English Village Community|Frederic Seebohm