landlordism
Etymology
From landlord + -ism.
landlordism means An economic system under which a few private individuals (landlords) own property, and rent it to tenants. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
Why this word is great
LANDLORDISM — [Noun] An economic system or practice characterized by the private ownership of land or property for rental income, where landlords act as its masters. Formed within English from 'landlord' (from Middle English 'londlord', from Old English 'land' ("land") and 'hlāford' ("lord, master")) + the suffix '-ism' (denoting a system, principle, or practice). Unlike "feudalism," which denotes a web of medieval hereditary obligations, or "tenancy," which focuses on the condition of the occupier, landlordism is the sleek, impersonal machinery of modern rent extraction. It is the cold click of a rent portal accepting payment, the silent accrual of equity in an empty second home, and the permanent shadow of a lease that grants occupancy but never roots—a quiet proof that the oldest form of power is the deed to the ground beneath another’s feet.
noun
- An economic system under which a few private individuals (landlords) own property, and rent it to tenants.“What if all the poor people should refuse to pay rent and shelter themselves under the American flag? Landlordism would go crumbling.”
- A specific variation or implementation of such a system.“[…] including the racialized landlordisms to which it gives rise.”
- The actions and behavior of a landlord.“Yet his account also implies the carelessness of his landlordism before now and the invisibility to him of those beneath his social horizon (even if they are paying him rent).”