A tenant farmer or serf in medieval Ireland who leased land from a lord in exchange for labor and rent.
From Old Irish 'fuidir,' derived from 'fud' (under) and 'thir' (land), literally meaning 'under-land person.' The term emerged during the Brehon law period to describe a specific social class bound to agricultural land.
The fuidhir system reveals how medieval Irish society operated centuries before feudalism became standardized in England—they had their own sophisticated hierarchy of land tenure that shaped Irish social structure until English conquest disrupted it.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.