peonage

English

Etymology

From peon +‎ -age.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpiːənɪdʒ/

Noun

peonage (plural peonages)

1. The state of being a peon; the system of paying back debt through servitude and labour; loosely, any system of involuntary servitude.
   • 2010, Christopher Hitchens, Hitch-22, Atlantic, published 2011, page 217:

     But there was work to be done down in the Salinas Valley where César Chávez was organizing the grape pickers and lettuce workers out of their state of un-unionized peonage.

   • 2014, Michael Nava, The City of Palaces, Terrace Books, page 191:

     "It wasn't just the crowds," Luis said softly. "I saw with my own eyes that Díaz's México is a Potemkin village, Miguel. The México profundo where the poor are so hungry they eat grass and bark. I met Indians whose land is being devoured by Díaz's cronies, entire towns swallowed up, and the people reduced to peonage. I talked to Mexican railroad workers who are paid a fraction of what the American owners pay their own countrymen for the same work."

Related terms

• peonage slavery on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Translations

the state of being a peon

• Polish: peonaż m
• Portuguese: peonagem f

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “peonage”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.