Helot

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Helot \He"lot\ (?; 277), n. [L. Helotes, Hilotae, pl., fr. Gr.
     E'e`lws and E'elw`ths a bondman or serf of the Spartans; so
     named from 'Elos, a town of Laconia, whose inhabitants were
     enslaved; or perh. akin to e`lei^n to take, conquer, used as
     2d aor. of ?.]
     A slave in ancient Sparta; a Spartan serf; hence, a slave or


     serf.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Those unfortunates, the Helots of mankind, more or less
           numerous in every community.             --I. Taylor.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  helot
       n : (Middle Ages) a person who is bound to the land and owned by
           the feudal lord [syn: {serf}, {villein}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  66 Moby Thesaurus words for "helot":
     apple-polisher, ass-licker, backscratcher, backslapper, bondmaid,
     bondman, bondslave, bondsman, bondswoman, bootlick, bootlicker,
     brown-nose, brownie, captive, chattel, chattel slave, churl,
     clawback, concubine, courtier, creature, cringer, debt slave, dupe,
     fawner, flatterer, flunky, footlicker, galley slave, groveler,
     handshaker, homager, instrument, jackal, kowtower, lackey,
     led captain, lickspit, lickspittle, liege, liege man,
     liege subject, mealymouth, minion, odalisque, peon, puppet, serf,
     servant, slave, spaniel, stooge, subject, suck, sycophant, theow,
     thrall, timeserver, toad, toady, tool, truckler, tufthunter,
     vassal, villein, yes-man