servage Definition
- 1the state of being a slave or serf
- 2the practice or system of owning and controlling the labor of others, especially through forced servitude or debt bondage
Using servage: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "servage" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
The feudal lord imposed servage on the peasants.
Example
The abolition of servage in Russia was a major reform.
Example
Many people were forced into servage due to debt bondage.
Example
The practice of servage was common in medieval Europe.
servage Synonyms and Antonyms
Phrases with servage
Example
Many people in developing countries are trapped in debt servage.
a form of slavery in which a person is considered as property and can be bought and sold
Example
Chattel servage was abolished in the United States after the Civil War.
a system in which a person is born into a state of servitude and cannot escape it
Example
Hereditary servage was abolished in France during the French Revolution.
Origins of servage
from Old French 'servage', from Latin 'servitium', meaning 'slavery'
Summary: servage in Brief
The term 'servage' [sur-vij] refers to the state of being a slave or serf, or the practice of owning and controlling the labor of others through forced servitude or debt bondage. It was common in medieval Europe and was abolished in many countries as a major reform. 'Servage' extends into phrases like 'debt servage,' denoting forced labor to pay off a debt, and 'chattel servage,' referring to the ownership of a person as property.
