serf
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serf
- /sɜːf/ UK
- /sɝf/ US
- /sɛɹf/ Scotland
- /søːf/ New Zealand, Wales
- /seːf/
- /sɛːf/
Sounds like surf (fern–fir–fur merger) · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)f
Where it comes from
From Middle English serf, from Old French serf, from Latin servus (“slave, serf, servant”).
noun serfs
-
A partially free peasant of a low hereditary class, attached like a slave to the land owned by a feudal lord and required to perform labour, enjoying minimal legal or customary rights.
See how the serfs work the ground / And they give it all they’ve got
Similar: helot
- A similar agricultural labourer in 18th and 19th century Europe.
- A worker unit.
Translations
Every language
noun semifree peasant
| Español | siervo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 농노 nongno |
| 日本語 | 農奴 nōdo, 小作人 kosakunin |
| 中文 | 農奴 /农奴 nóngnú |
| Português | servo |
| Français | serf |
| Deutsch | Leibeigener |
| Italiano | servo della gleba |
| Ελληνικά | δουλοπάροικος doulopároikos, κολλίγας kollígas |
| Română | iobag, șerb |
| Русский | крепостно́й krepostnój, крепостна́я krepostnája, холо́п xolóp |
| Tiếng Việt | nông nô |
| العربية | قِنّ qinn |
| עברית | צמית tsamit, אריס aris |
Talk about this word "serf." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/serf. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. serf. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/serf "serf." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/serf.Cite this
@misc{serf_2026,
title = {serf},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/serf},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
