enserf

English

Etymology

From en- +‎ serf.

Verb

enserf (third-person singular simple present enserfs, present participle enserfing, simple past and past participle enserfed)

1. To make into a serf.
   • 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 369:

     It certainly did not denounce as sinful the movement to enserf a large section of the population, any more than it had challenged slavery in the ancient world; that was hardly surprising, since very often great monasteries like Cluny were in the forefront of imposing serfdom on their tenants.

Derived terms

• enserfment