noun
- plural of freeman; people who are not slaves or serfs and have personal liberty
- citizens who have been granted the freedom of a city or town, with special privileges
Usage: historical; British
Examples
- The freemen of the colony enjoyed rights that enslaved people did not have.
- After the Civil War, former slaves became freemen with legal rights.
- The medieval town granted citizenship to new freemen each year.
- Freemen could vote and own property in the early American settlements.
- The guild admitted only freemen as full members.
- These freemen had earned their liberty through years of service.