serf
[ surf ]
/ sɜrf /
noun
a person in a condition of servitude, required to render services to a lord, commonly attached to the lord's land and transferred with it from one owner to another.
a slave.
Nearby words
serene, serengeti, serenity, sereth, serevent, serf, serge, sergeant, sergeant at arms, sergeant at law, sergeant baker
Origin of serf
1475–85; < Middle French < Latin servus slave
Related forms
serf·dom, serf·hood, serf·age, nounCan be confused
serf surfDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for serf
British Dictionary definitions for serf
serf
/ (sɜːf) /
noun
(esp in medieval Europe) an unfree person, esp one bound to the land. If his lord sold the land, the serf was passed on to the new landlord
Derived Forms
serfdom or serfhood, nounserflike, adjectiveWord Origin for serf
C15: from Old French, from Latin servus a slave; see serve
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
Culture definitions for serf
serf
Under feudalism, a peasant bound to his lord's land and subject to his lord's will, but entitled to his lord's protection.
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.