Helot
Americannoun
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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.
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helot, a serf or slave; bondman.
noun
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(in ancient Greece, esp Sparta) a member of the class of unfree men above slaves owned by the state
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(usually not capital) a serf or slave
Other Word Forms
- helotage noun
Etymology
Origin of Helot
1570–80; < Latin hēlōtēs (plural) < Greek heílōtes
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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.
From Slate
Buff Spartan hoplites brandishing their spears were not enough to assuage fears of a Helot uprising.
From Slate
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.
From Slate
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.
From The Guardian
He serves as a warning to me, A sort of political helot; But, thanks to old W. G., I'm no longer a radical zealot!
From Project Gutenberg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
