freedman

C2 Topic:Social Issues & Human Rights

US /ˈfriːd.mən/ UK /ˈfriːd.mən/ See IPA manual

Freq #33306

Meanings

1

noun
a man who has been released from slavery, especially when his legal status is distinguished from that of a freeborn person

The Roman freedman could conduct business but remained linked by obligations to his former owner.
2

noun
in US history, an emancipated Black person in the period during and after the Civil War

The freedman registered to vote during Reconstruction despite threats from former slaveholders.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a man who has been released... emancipated manmanumitted man

2 noun · in us history, an... freed personemancipated person

More manumitted person

Opposites

enslaved person

Word family

Forms freedmen

Derived forms freedwomanfreedpeople

Related forms emancipationmanumissionfreeborn slavery

Etymology

A native compound of freed, the past participle of free, + man. English has long used it as a legal and historical status term for a man released from slavery, often in contrast with freeborn. In US history its plural, freedmen, was also used collectively for people emancipated from slavery.

Topics

Social Issues & Human Rights

External links

# freedman

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈfriːd.mən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈfriːd.mən/
**Frequency rank:** 33306

## Meanings
1. a man who has been released from slavery, especially when his legal status is distinguished from that of a freeborn person
2. in US history, an emancipated Black person in the period during and after the Civil War

## Examples
- The Roman freedman could conduct business but remained linked by obligations to his former owner.
- The freedman registered to vote during Reconstruction despite threats from former slaveholders.

## Synonyms
- freed person
- emancipated person
- manumitted person

## Antonyms
- enslaved person

## Derived Forms
- freedwoman
- freedpeople

## Related Forms
- emancipation
- manumission
- freeborn
- slavery

## Etymology
A native compound of freed, the past participle of free, + man. English has long used it as a legal and historical status term for a man released from slavery, often in contrast with freeborn. In US history its plural, freedmen, was also used collectively for people emancipated from slavery.

## Topics
- Social Issues & Human Rights

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