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# serfdom

noun (serfdom, uncountable)

«serfdom» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (history) Serfdom was a system, mainly in the Middle Ages, in which poor farm workers called serfs were tied to a lord's land and could not leave it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serfdom/#m1)
2. (history) Serfdom means the state of being a serf. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serfdom/#m2)

### In the lessons

In history lessons on the Middle Ages and the feudal system, the king gave land to lords, lords had knights, and serfs (also called villeins) worked the land; serfs had to give the lord crops and work for free and needed permission to marry or move. Serfdom ended in England after the Black Death and the Peasants' Revolt, but lasted much longer in Russia. It was not exactly slavery, because serfs could not be sold apart from the land, but life was hard. Phrases: «end of serfdom», «abolish serfdom», «free from serfdom».

### Examples

- Under serfdom, peasants could not leave the lord's land. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serfdom/#x1)
- Serfdom slowly ended in England after the Black Death. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serfdom/#x2)
- The Russian tsar abolished serfdom, freeing millions of people. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serfdom/#x3)
- Serfs paid the lord with work and crops. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serfdom/#x4)
- The feudal system was built on serfdom. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serfdom/#x5)
- Many peasants rebelled against serfdom. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serfdom/#x6)

### Note

Uncountable. Person: «a serf, serfs». Homophone trap: «serf» (a worker tied to land) and «surf» (waves) sound the same. Serfdom is not the same as slavery, but both took away people's freedom.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «serfdom» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/serfdom/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«serfdom» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/serfdom.html) on Mova free.