bondman

[ bond-muhn ]

noun

, plural bond·men.

1. a male slave.
2. a man bound to service without wages.
3. Old English Law. a villein or other unfree tenant.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bondman¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English bonde man; bond ², man

Example Sentences

If Woodson had the means to scrape together $3,500 for a bail bondman’s down payment, he could have fought the charges without sacrificing his housing, education, and job.

From Slate

There are boxing ghosts in this three-room gym, which lies sandwiched between a tire shop and bail bondman's office.

From Los Angeles Times

That’s when the bondman showed up to post $500 bail on behalf of another inmate, Maretta Ruth Gamble.

From Time

You can see that snobbish streak in his scorn for his childhood neighbour in Trinidad, Matthew Bondman, as "an awful character, so crude and vulgar in every aspect of his life," and yet "with a bat in his hand he was all grace and style."

From The Guardian

At Nuncoton in 1440 “ne that ye aleyne or selle any bondman” was added to the usual prohibition.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• detainee
• hostage
• prisoner
• prisoner of war
• slave