peonage
[ pee-uh-nij ]
/ ˈpi ə nɪdʒ /
noun
the condition or service of a peon.
the practice of holding persons in servitude or partial slavery, as to work off a debt or to serve a penal sentence.
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Words nearby peonage
Penutian, Penza, Penzance, Penzias, peon, peonage, peony, people, people carrier, peoplehood, people mover
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for peonage
British Dictionary definitions for peonage
peonage
peonism (ˈpiːəˌnɪzəm)
/ (ˈpiːənɪdʒ) /
noun
the state of being a peon
a system in which a debtor must work for his creditor until the debt is paid off
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
Cultural definitions for peonage
peonage
[ (pee-uh-nij) ]
A system of forced labor based on debts incurred by workers. Peonage developed particularly in plantation economies, where employers forced laborers to buy from employer-owned stores, pay inflated prices, and stay in debt.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.