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.

---

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

---

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of peonage

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

Example Sentences

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

Her empathetic portraits of African-American field hands shine a light on a system of peonage that predated and outlasted the 1930s.

From New York Times • Feb. 13, 2020

During the next two centuries, New England Indians also suffered indentured servitude, convict labor, and debt peonage, which often resulted in the enslavement of the debtor’s children.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 18, 2019

Before Brandeis joined the court, John Marshall Harlan wrote two landmark dissents about racial segregation and discrimination; Justice Charles Evans Hughes wrote a majority opinion about the evils of Alabama’s peonage system.

From Washington Post • Jun. 8, 2016

Horse-hire, peonage, and most mechanical work must be paid for in advance.

From The Andes and the Amazon Across the Continent of South America by Orton, James

Related Words

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