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

He denounced what he called "feudalism" that has taken root in the Central European country of nearly 10 million people.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

It continued in both domestic and competitive forms with the help of the wheelbarrow, which arrived in the Middle Ages, presumably along with feudalism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

They saw these mandates as bound up in the oppressions of feudalism and what Jefferson described as "artificial aristocracy."

From Salon • Nov. 10, 2024

“We talked a lot about feudalism and Andy being like a king,” DiGerlando says.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2023

Jefferson's version of a classless American society was therefore a pipe dream, because the source of the problem was not European feudalism but human nature itself.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

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