feudalism
nounUK /ˈfjuː.dəl.ɪ.zəm/
US /ˈfjuː.dəl.ɪ.zəm/
Feudalism is a way of living from long ago where poor people worked for rich landowners in exchange for protection.
In the Middle Ages, feudalism meant that peasants farmed the lord's land and gave him part of their crops.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A social system in which people are ranked by land ownership and loyalty.
The history book explained how feudalism shaped medieval society.
3. Any system where powerful groups control land and weaker people must serve them.
Critics called the company's housing policy a kind of modern feudalism.
4. The political and economic order of medieval Europe based on oaths between lords and vassals.
Knights swore loyalty to their lords under feudalism.