Enserfment

/ɛnˈsɜrfmənt/ noun

Definition

The state or condition of being a serf; the act or process of reducing someone to serfdom.

Etymology

From enserf + -ment (suffix creating abstract nouns from verbs). This noun describes both the condition of serfdom and the historical process of implementing that system.

Kelly Says

The word 'enserfment' is less about single acts and more about describing serfdom as a system—when historians talk about 'the enserfment of Eastern Europe,' they're describing how entire regions got locked into feudal systems.

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