Helot

[ hel-uht, hee-luht ]

/ ˈhɛl ət, ˈhi lət /

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noun

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.Compare Perioeci, Spartiate.

helot, a serf or slave; bondman.

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Origin of Helot

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

OTHER WORDS FROM Helot

hel·ot·age, noun

Words nearby Helot

Héloïse, heloma, heloma durum, heloma molle, helophyte, Helot, helotism, helotomy, helotry, help, helper

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use Helot in a sentence

His cheeks bright red, his chin wet with spittle, the helot would weave and stagger and totter until he passed out in the dirt.
Persian Fire and Rubicon (Full)|David Frum|September 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Little by little, he had become to his wife so indulgent and so affectionate, that the poor helot felt her heart touched.
Other People's Money|Emile Gaboriau
It may actually have been the unfortunate fall to which the helot owed his death.
Atlantis|Gerhart Hauptmann
It would be, I expected, such a sight as that which the drunken Helot once presented to the virtuous Spartan youth.
The Chaplain of the Fleet|Walter Besant and James Rice

In the boat were Thorkeld, a helot of Iona, and two dark wild-eyed men of the north.
The Divine Adventure etc. (Works vol. 4)|Fiona Macleod
Thus sacrificing one class to the other, both were injured,—the imperious Spartan and the abased Helot.
Charles Sumner; His Complete Works, Volume III (of 20)|Charles Sumner

British Dictionary definitions for Helot

Helot

/ (ˈhɛlət, ˈhiː-) /

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

Word Origin for Helot

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012