helot

hel·ot  (hlt)

n.

1. Helot One of a class of serfs in ancient Sparta, neither a slave nor a free citizen.

2. A person in servitude; a serf.

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[From Greek Heiltes, pl. of Heils, Heilt-.]

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Helot [ˈhɛlət ˈhiː-]

n

1. (Historical Terms) (in ancient Greece, esp Sparta) a member of the class of unfree men above slaves owned by the state

2. (Historical Terms) (usually not capital) a serf or slave

[from Latin Hēlotēs, from Greek Heilōtes, alleged to have meant originally: inhabitants of Helos, who, after its conquest, were serfs of the Spartans]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

helot - (Middle Ages) a person who is bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord serf, villein Europe - the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use `Europe' to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles cottier, cotter - a medieval English villein thrall - someone held in bondage Dark Ages, Middle Ages - the period of history between classical antiquity and the Italian Renaissance