freeborn

[ free-bawrn ]

adjective

1. born free, rather than in slavery, bondage, or vassalage.
2. pertaining to or befitting persons born free.

freeborn

/ ˈfriːˌbɔːn /

adjective

1. not born in slavery
2. of, relating to, or suitable for people not born in slavery

Word History and Origins

Origin of freeborn¹

First recorded in 1300–50, freeborn is from the Middle English word freborn, freeborn. See free, born

Example Sentences

Maryland passes a similar law, which also states that freeborn women who marry enslaved men are considered enslaved.

From Literature

Their new condition would prevent them and their offspring taking chieftaincy titles or marrying a freeborn.

From BBC

Robert—a man born in Africa, enslaved in America, and now a free farmer—and his freeborn African-American herbalist wife, Mary, had worked diligently to ensure this security for themselves and their children.

From Scientific American

The musical, about freeborn Black people and newly arrived Irish immigrants coexisting peacefully, for a time, in Five Points, a New York slum, during the Civil War, focuses on a fascinating American story.

From New York Times

The cast also includes “The Good Place” star William Jackson Harper as Royal, a freeborn Black man Cora encounters on her journey.

From Los Angeles Times