Meanings
nounbondman (plural bondmen)
plural bondmen · alternative bondsman
- A man who is bound in servitude.
Shall I bend low, and in a bond-mans key With bated breath, and whiſpring humbleneſſe, Say this:
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], page 166, column 2
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishbondman
- Englishbondman
From Middle English bondman; equivalent to bond + -man.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian роб, крепостник
- роб (rob)man bound in servitude
- крепостник (krepostnik)man bound in servitude
Chinese Mandarin 奴隸 /奴隶, 農奴 /农奴
- 奴隸 /奴隶 (núlì)man bound in servitude
- 農奴 /农奴 (nóngnú)man bound in servitude
Finnish palvelija, orja
- palvelijaman bound in servitude
- orjaman bound in servitude
French esclave, serf
- esclaveman bound in servitude
- serfman bound in servitude
Polish niewolnik
- niewolnikman bound in servitude
Russian раб, холо́п
- раб (rab)man bound in servitude
- холо́п (xolóp)man bound in servitude
- крепостно́й (krepostnój)man bound in servitude
Cite this entry
APA
bondman. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bondman
MLA
“bondman.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bondman. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bondman,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bondman.
Source: bondman on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.