feudalism

noun/ˈfjuːdəˌlɪzəm/

Frequency rank: #15,998 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

A political and social system in which land is exchanged for military service and loyalty, with lords ruling over peasants.

Illustration for the English word “feudalism”

Example sentence

In medieval Europe, feudalism meant that peasants worked the land in exchange for protection from their lords.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 15,901–16,000