noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈfju.də.lɪ.zəm/
[ˈfju.də.lɪ.zm̩]
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:F Y UW1 D AH0 L IH2 Z AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A social system based on personal ownership of resources and personal fealty between a suzerain (lord) and a vassal (subject). Defining characteristics are direct ownership of resources, personal loyalty, and a hierarchical social structure reinforced by religion.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
the social system that developed in Europe in the 8th century; vassals were protected by lords who they had to serve in war
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: feudal system
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: social organization, social organisation, social structure, social system, structure
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English feudal Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English feudalism From feudal + -ism.
Across languages
Translations
60 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
إِقْطَاعِيَّة
(ʔiqṭāʕiyya)
— social system
Armenian:
ֆեոդալիզմ
(feodalizm)
— social system
Armenian:
ավատատիրություն
(avatatirutʻyun)
— social system
Azerbaijani:
feodalizm
— social system
Azerbaijani:
dərəbəylik
— social system
Bashkir:
феодализм
(feodalizm)
— social system
Belarusian:
феадалі́зм
(fjeadalízm)
— social system
Bengali:
সামন্ততন্ত্র
(samôntôtôntrô)
— social system
Catalan:
feudalisme
— social system
Chinese Mandarin:
封建制度
(fēngjiàn zhìdù)
— social system
Czech:
feudalismus
— social system
Danish:
feudalisme
— social system
Danish:
lenssystem
— social system
Dutch:
feodalisme
— social system
Dutch:
leenstelsel
— social system
Esperanto:
feŭdismo
— social system
Finnish:
feodalismi
— social system
French:
féodalisme
— social system
Georgian:
ფეოდალიზმი
(peodalizmi)
— social system
German:
Feudalismus
— social system
Greek:
φεουδαρχία
(feoudarchía)
— social system
Greek:
δουλοπαροικία
(douloparoikía)
— social system
Hungarian:
feudalizmus
— social system
Icelandic:
lénsskipulag
— social system
Icelandic:
lénskerfi
— social system
Icelandic:
lénsveldi
— social system
Indonesian:
feodalisme
— social system
Japanese:
封建制度
(hōken seido)
— social system
Kazakh:
феодализм
(feodalizm)
— social system
Korean:
봉건제도
(bonggeonjedo)
— social system
Latin:
feudalismus
— social system
Latvian:
feodālisms
— social system
Lithuanian:
feodalizmas
— social system
Macedonian:
феудали́зам
(feudalízam)
— social system
Malay:
feudalisme
— social system
Norwegian Bokmål:
føydalisme
— social system
Norwegian Nynorsk:
føydalisme
— social system
Persian:
فئودالیسم
— social system
Polish:
feudalizm
— social system
Portuguese:
feudalismo
— social system
Punjabi:
ਸਾਮੰਤਵਾਦ
(sāmantvād)
— social system
Romanian:
feudalism
— social system
Romanian:
orânduire feudală
— social system
Russian:
феодали́зм
(feodalízm)
— social system
Russian:
феода́льный строй
(feodálʹnyj stroj)
— social system