feudalism

/ˌfjudlˈɪzəm/

/ˈfjudəlɪzəm/

Other forms: feudalisms

Feudalism was a European political system in which a lord owned all the land while vassals and serfs farmed it. Feudalism ended in the 1400s.

People who lived during feudalism didn't use the term feudalism. In fact, it wasn't until several centuries after this system ended that scholars coined the term feudalism. The ending -ism means "philosophy or system." And feudal comes from the Medieval Latin word feudalis, meaning "feudal estate," and is related to feodary, "one who holds lands of an overlord in exchange for service."

Definitions of feudalism

1. noun

   the social system that developed in Europe in the 8th century; vassals were protected by lords who they had to serve in war
   synonyms: feudal system

   type of:

   social organisation, social organization, social structure, social system, structure

   the people in a society considered as a system organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships