- the condition of being a serf in a position of servitude, required to render services to a lord: He lived in serfdom until 1831 when, at the age of 30, he escaped.
- the condition or population of serfs taken as a whole: Her thesis analyzes the phenomenon of serfdom and the manner in which it changed between 1772 and 1848.
- servitude of any kind: Technology, in the absence of scientific guidance, is a Pied Piper leading us into industrial serfdom.
