redemptionary means one who is, or may be, redeemed; one who is set at liberty, or released from a bond, by paying compensation or fulfilling stipulated conditions. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “redemptionary” is a great word
One who is in a state of potential liberation, liable to be bought back from obligation or bondage through payment or fulfillment. From redemption (from Middle English redempcioun, from Old French redemption, from Latin redemptio, from redimere, "to buy back") + the suffix -ary (forming nouns denoting a person connected with or characterized by). Unlike a redeemer (who actively pays the price) or a debtor (who merely carries the obligation), a redemptionary is defined by the suspended moment before release. It is the indentured servant counting coins in a leather pouch, the prisoner awaiting the courier with the signed pardon, the pawned watch poised to be lifted from the velvet drawer—a figure whose very essence is the quiet, tensile hope of a burden about to slide from the shoulders.
Etymology
From redemption + -ary.
noun
- One who is, or may be, redeemed; one who is set at liberty, or released from a bond, by paying compensation or fulfilling stipulated conditions.“[…]be admitted in the said society, but as redemptionaries, which will be very chargeable”