bondwoman means A woman who is bound in servitude; a female slave. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 84 out of 100.
Why “bondwoman” is a great word
BONDWOMAN — [Noun] A woman legally bound in servitude; a female slave. From Middle English *bondewomman*, equivalent to *bond* (meaning "serf, slave, one bound to service") + *-woman* (a female suffix). First recorded in use before 1387. Unlike "freewoman," which denotes a person possessing liberty, or "servant," which implies a contractual, if limited, autonomy, a bondwoman was a chattel, her life a ledger entry. It is the heavy press of a thumb-seal into cooling wax on a bill of sale, the fixed stare at a patch of earth one is compelled to till but never own, and the specific silence that follows a command one is not permitted to question—history is a story told by the free, bound together by the work of the unfree.
Etymology
From Middle English bondewomman; equivalent to bond + -woman.
noun
- A woman who is bound in servitude; a female slave.