Helot

[hel-uht, hee-luht]

noun

1. a member of the lowest class in ancient Laconia, constituting a body of serfs who were bound to the land and were owned by the state.

2. helot, a serf or slave; bondman.

Helot

/ ˈhɛlət, ˈhiː- /

noun

1. (in ancient Greece, esp Sparta) a member of the class of unfree men above slaves owned by the state

2. (usually not capital) a serf or slave

Other Word Forms

• helotage noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Helot¹

1570–80; < Latin hēlōtēs (plural) < Greek heílōtes

Word History and Origins

Origin of Helot¹

C16: from Latin Hēlotēs, from Greek Heilōtes, alleged to have meant originally: inhabitants of Helos, who, after its conquest, were serfs of the Spartans

Example Sentences

Buff Spartan hoplites brandishing their spears were not enough to assuage fears of a Helot uprising.

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I recommend reading the graphic novel series Three, which tells the story of Helot liberation and is a welcome corrective to the jingoism of 300.

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While ghastly even by ancient standards, these measures served only to make the Helots hate the Spartans even more, all but guaranteeing future Helot revolts and worsening Spartan paranoia.

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Irrespective of the label one uses for it, this is the only outcome that this Israeli government will accept, whatever subaltern, or helot, or “autonomous” status it deigns to allow the Palestinians.

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It matters not whether these things are produced by happy smiling members of workers’ cooperatives or helot slaves of the capitalist oppressors.

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Related Words

• servant