serf

American  

[surf] / sɜrf /

noun

1. 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.

   Synonyms:

   peasant, villein, vassal

2. 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.

3. Obsolete. a person held in bondage or slavery.

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serf British  

/ sɜːf /

noun

1. (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

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serf Cultural  

1. Under feudalism, a peasant bound to his lord's land and subject to his lord's will, but entitled to his lord's protection.

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Other Word Forms

• serfdom noun
• serflike adjective

Etymology

Origin of serf

First recorded in 1475–85; from Old French, from Latin servus “slave”

Example Sentences

They want illiterate, groveling serfs, who live in fear and don’t stick around too long.

From Salon

“Impossible! There are taxes to pay, not only this year’s but last year’s, too. The roof leaks, the horses need shoes, the crops need land, the land needs serfs, the serfs need food. . . .”

From Literature

Displays blurred the lines between rebellion and refinement, presenting collections that navigated through time — evoking medieval serfs with a modern twist and embracing minimalist aesthetics reminiscent of the 1990s.

From Seattle Times

Leasehold dates back hundreds of years - before women even had the right to own property - to a time of lords and landowners, peasants and serfs.

From BBC

Catherine had to deal with fractious nobles and rebellious serfs; I have to deal with a mutinous tree — it’s basically the same thing.

From New York Times