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serf
[ surf ]
/ sɜrf /
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noun
a person in a condition of feudal 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 worker who is underpaid, overworked, or otherwise exploited: Today's service-sector serfs are fighting for the most basic of job perks: a decent paycheck, a stable schedule, and paid time off when they are sick.
Obsolete. a person held in bondage or slavery.
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Origin of serf
First recorded in 1475–85; from Old French, from Latin servus “slave”
OTHER WORDS FROM serf
serf·dom [surf-duhm] /ˈsɜrf dəm/ nounWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH serf
serf , surfWords nearby serf
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use serf in a sentence
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 of serf
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
Cultural 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.