bondman

English

Alternative forms

• bondsman

Etymology

From Middle English bondman; equivalent to bond +‎ -man.

Pronunciation

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Noun

bondman (plural bondmen)

1. A man who is bound in servitude.

   Synonyms: slave, serf

   • 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:

     Shall I bend low, and in a bond-mans key
     With bated breath, and whiſpring humbleneſſe,
     Say this:

Derived terms

• bondmanship

Translations

man bound in servitude

Bulgarian: роб (bg) m (rob), крепостник m (krepostnik) Chinese: Mandarin: (male or female) 奴隸 / 奴隶 (zh) (núlì), (male or female) 農奴 / 农奴 (zh) (nóngnú) Finnish: palvelija (fi), orja (fi) French: esclave (fr) m, serf (fr) m Polish: niewolnik (pl) m Russian: (slave) раб (ru) m (rab), холо́п (ru) m (xolóp), крепостно́й (ru) m (krepostnój) Sicilian: criatu (scn) m, schiavu (scn) m, serbu (scn) m

See also

• bondwoman