verb
- to reduce to the condition of a serf; to bind to the soil as a serf
Usage: archaic; historical
Examples
- Medieval lords sought to enserf the peasant population to increase their labor force.
- The conquering army threatened to enserf the defeated people.
- Harsh feudal laws were designed to enserf the lower classes permanently.
- Economic hardship forced many to accept conditions that would enserf them to local nobility.