freeman

¹ American  

[free-muhn] / ˈfri mən /

noun

plural

freemen

1. a person who is free; a person who enjoys personal, civil, or political liberty.

2. a person who enjoys or is entitled to citizenship, franchise, or other special privilege.

   a freeman of a city.

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Freeman ² American  

[free-muhn] / ˈfri mən /

noun

1. Douglas Southall 1886–1953, U.S. journalist and biographer.

2. Edward Augustus, 1823–92, English historian.

3. Mary E(leanor Wilkins), 1862–1930, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

4. a male given name.

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freeman ¹ British  

/ ˈfriːmən /

noun

1. a person who is not a slave or in bondage

2. a person who enjoys political and civil liberties; citizen

3. a person who enjoys a privilege or franchise, such as the freedom of a city

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Freeman ² British  

/ ˈfriːmən /

noun

1. Cathy, full name Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman . born 1973, Australian sprinter; winner of the 200m and 400m in the 1994 Commonwealth Games and the 400m in the 2000 Olympic Games

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Other Word Forms

• nonfreeman noun

Etymology

Origin of freeman

before 1000; Middle English freman, Old English frēoman. See free, man

Example Sentences

So, on 11 March 1972, the man who millions had watched make his "giant leap" on the lunar surface became a freeman of a town then probably best known for its thriving textile mills.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2022

She looked for a depiction of Balthazar or St. Maurice, two Africans who are portrayed in Renaissance art, and found a Balthazar made in Antwerp about 1515 that was modeled on a Black freeman.

From New York Times • Nov. 5, 2021

In fact, no defence based on so-called freeman on the land, sovereign citizen or legal name fraud theory has ever succeeded in court.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2021

“A city slave is almost a freeman, compared with a slave on a plantation,” Douglass wrote.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 8, 2018

As Caesar rubbed her feet, the widow encouraged him to cultivate a skill, one that would serve him in good stead as a freeman.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead