Meanings
nounserfdom (usually uncountable, plural serfdoms)
plural serfdoms
- uncountableusuallyThe state of being a serf.
- uncountableusuallyThe feudal system that includes serfs.
Krzywicki's studies of primitive societies led him to conclude that there was no universal law and that, for example, serfdom was not a necessary stage in all cases.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume II: The Golden Age, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozwój (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 204
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian крепостничество
- крепостничество (krepostničestvo)feudal system
Catalan servitud
- servitudstate of being a serf
Chinese Mandarin 農奴身份 /农奴身份, 農奴制 /农奴制
- 農奴身份 /农奴身份 (nóngnú shēnfen)state of being a serf
- 農奴制 /农奴制 (nóngnúzhì)feudal system
Czech nevolnictví
- nevolnictvífeudal system
Danish livegenskab, livegenskab
- livegenskabstate of being a serf
- livegenskabfeudal system
Dutch lijfeigenschap, horigheid
- lijfeigenschapstate of being a serf
- horigheidfeudal system
Estonian pärisorjus, pärisorjus
- pärisorjusstate of being a serf
- pärisorjusfeudal system
Finnish maaorjuus, maaorjuus
- maaorjuusstate of being a serf
- maaorjuusfeudal system
French servage, servage
- servagestate of being a serf
- servagefeudal system
German Leibeigenschaft, Eigenbehörigkeit
- Leibeigenschaftstate of being a serf
- Eigenbehörigkeitstate of being a serf
- Leibeigenschaftfeudal system
- Eigenbehörigkeitfeudal system
Hungarian jobbágyság, jobbágyság
- jobbágyságstate of being a serf
- jobbágyságfeudal system
Irish seirfeachas, daoirse
- seirfeachasstate of being a serf
- daoirsestate of being a serf
- seirfeachasfeudal system
- daoirsefeudal system
Italian servitù, servitù della gleba
- servitùstate of being a serf
- servitù della glebafeudal system
Japanese 農奴制
- 農奴制 (nōdosei)feudal system
Lithuanian baudžiava
- baudžiavastate of being a serf
Māori rōpātanga
- rōpātangastate of being a serf
Norwegian livegenskap
- livegenskapfeudal system
Polish pańszczyzna, poddaństwo
- pańszczyznastate of being a serf
- poddaństwofeudal system
Portuguese servidão, servidão
- servidãostate of being a serf
- servidãofeudal system
Russian крепостни́чество, ра́бство
- крепостни́чество (krepostníčestvo)state of being a serf
- ра́бство (rábstvo)state of being a serf
- нево́ля (nevólja)state of being a serf
- крепостно́е пра́во (krepostnóje právo)feudal system
Spanish servidumbre, servidumbre
- servidumbrestate of being a serf
- servidumbrefeudal system
Swedish livegenskap, träldom
- livegenskapstate of being a serf
- träldomstate of being a serf
- livegenskapfeudal system
Ukrainian кріпацтво, кріпаччина
- кріпацтво (kripactvo)state of being a serf
- кріпаччина (kripaččyna)state of being a serf
- кріпосне право (kriposne pravo)feudal system
- кріпацтво (kripactvo)feudal system
- кріпаччина (kripaččyna)feudal system
Welsh taeogaeth
- taeogaethstate of being a serf
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with serfdom
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
serfdom. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/serfdom
MLA
“serfdom.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/serfdom. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “serfdom,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/serfdom.
Source: serfdom on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.