peonage

American  

[pee-uh-nij] / ˈpi ə nɪdʒ /

noun

1. the condition or service of a peon.

2. 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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peonage British  

/ ˈpiːəˌnɪzəm, ˈpiːənɪdʒ /

noun

1. the state of being a peon

2. a system in which a debtor must work for his creditor until the debt is paid off

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peonage Cultural  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of peonage

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; peon ¹ + -age

Example Sentences

Rather, the poorer and more vulnerable you are, the more you are exploited, thrust into a hellish debt peonage from which there is no escape.

From Salon • Sep. 7, 2022

The peonage system lasted across the South for seven decades until World War II, yet many Americans have never heard of it.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 23, 2021

Back in Charleston, Waring continued to rule against peonage and the Democrats’ white primaries.

From New York Times • Feb. 7, 2019

“They opposed all forms of free labor—not just slavery but serfdom, peonage, unpaid apprenticeship,” she said, peering at some undergraduates in front.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 31, 2018

From the usual condition of the great mass of laboring men where these laws are enforced, to peonage is but a step at most.

From Peonage The American Negro Academy. Occasional Papers No. 15 by Hershaw, Lafayette M.

Related Words

• bondage
• captivity
• enslavement
• serfdom
• servitude
• subjugation