Etymology

freeman

F4R1E1E1M3A1N1

Today it means: A person who is not a serf or slave. Full definition →

Old English frēomann
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

freeman · noun1

  1. Old English · inherited fromfrēomann
  2. English todayfreeman

From Old English frēomann, equivalent to free + -man and paralleled by similar constructions in other Germanic languages. Doublet of preman.

Freeman · proper noun2

* Proprialisation of freeman. From originating as a freeman (instead of a serf, indentured, or some other status) * free + man. A surname taken up by freed slaves.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.