A peasant bound to the land in feudal times; or, something written in addition or attached to something else.
From Latin 'adscriptus' (bound to), past participle of 'adscribere' (ad- 'to' + scribere 'to write'). In feudalism, adscripts were serfs legally attached to land.
In medieval Europe, adscripts were essentially stuck to the land they farmed—not quite slaves but definitely not free—and the word literally means 'written to' or 'bound to,' like having your name permanently inscribed there.
Adscript relates to serfdom and bound labor; the term reflects gendered divisions of labor in feudal systems where women's bondage was often invisible or naturalized.
When discussing historical adscription, explicitly name how it affected women and men differently, avoiding gender-neutral language that obscures women's specific forms of unfreedom.
["bound laborer","serf (specify gender in historical analysis)"]
Historians including feminist scholars have recovered evidence that adscript women faced compounded exploitation including reproductive servitude, often erased from legal codes.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.