métayer

American  

[met-uh-yey, mey-tuh-] / ˌmɛt əˈyeɪ, ˌmeɪ tə- /

noun

1. a person who works the land using tools, seed, etc., furnished by the landlord and who receives a share of the harvest in compensation.

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Etymology

Origin of métayer

1770–80; < French < Medieval Latin medietārius, equivalent to mediet ( ās ) ( see moiety) + -ārius -ary

Example Sentences

Would he—on the métayer system—consent to give half of his harvest to the landowner?

From The Conquest of Bread by Kropotkin, Petr Alekseevich, kniaz

Thanks to the métayer land-tenure, man’s heart, as well as his strength, is given to the ground, with his hope and his honour. 

From The Rhythm of Life by Meynell, Alice Christiana Thompson

He could take care that nothing was done which did not please him, for the métayer or colon was on no firmer footing than that of an upper servant.

From Two Summers in Guyenne by Barker, Edward Harrison

The métayer acts as guide, and his services are indispensable, for there are few subterranean labyrinths so extensive and so puzzling as this.

From Two Summers in Guyenne by Barker, Edward Harrison

But the truth is that the métayer was not a free tenant in the sense which we attach to the word.

From Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 2 of 3) Turgot by Morley, John