feudal
feudal Lexical Profile
feudal Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to or characteristic of the social, economic, and political system in medieval Europe in which vassals held land from lords in exchange for military and other services.
"Under the feudal system, peasants worked the land in exchange for protection from the local lord."
Resembling the medieval system in being rigidly hierarchical, exploitative, or archaic.
"Critics argued that the corporation's management structure was positively feudal in its treatment of entry-level workers."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'feudal' (relating to the medieval system of land tenure and vassalage) with 'futile' (incapable of producing any useful result; pointless), which can sound similar in rapid American English speech.
• Rhymes for feudal
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 17th century from Medieval Latin feudalis, from feudum ('fief' or 'feudal estate'), which ultimately derives from a Frankish root *fehu-od meaning 'movable property' or 'cattle-wealth'.