Helot
Americannoun
-
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.
-
helot, a serf or slave; bondman.
noun
-
(in ancient Greece, esp Sparta) a member of the class of unfree men above slaves owned by the state
-
(usually not capital) a serf or slave
Other Word Forms
- helotage noun
Etymology
Origin of Helot
1570–80; < Latin hēlōtēs (plural) < Greek heílōtes
Explanation
A helot was a serf in ancient Sparta, a person who had to work on land owned by the state. Helots were badly mistreated by their Spartan masters. In addition to agricultural work, helots were often assigned to do household work for individual Spartans, though they were considered the state's property. Unlike slaves in other parts of ancient Greece, helots lived in their own family groups and had a little more autonomy. They outnumbered the Spartans, though, and were kept in line by being physically mistreated and even killed. There may be an etymological connection between helot and the Greek halonai, "be captured or conquered."
Vocabulary lists containing helot
Ancient Greece, Lessons 1–3
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Chapter 7: The Ancient Greeks
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Chapter 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Buff Spartan hoplites brandishing their spears were not enough to assuage fears of a Helot uprising.
From Slate • Jan. 16, 2024
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 • Jan. 16, 2024
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 • Jan. 16, 2024
By teaching his greatest love, a Helot woman, to read and write and think politically, he has set events in motion that end in a blaze of atrocity and civil war.
From Time Magazine Archive
Strong as I was even in boyhood, the Helot would have been a match for Alcides.
From Pausanias, the Spartan The Haunted and the Haunters, an Unfinished Historical Romance by Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron
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.
