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feudalism

Definition of Feudalism

(noun) A hierarchical society based on land ownership and protection.

Feudalism Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: feu·dal·ism

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /fyOO-duh-liz-uhm/
  • British English – /fyOOd-li-zuhm/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˈfjudəˌlɪzəm/
  • British English – /ˈfjuːdəlɪz(ə)m/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: feudalisms
  • Also called:
    • feudal society
    • feudal system
  • To control an area using feudalism, a (noun) feudalist (verb) feudalizes it using (adjective) feudal or (adjective) feudalistic methods.

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Works Consulted

Bilton, Tony, Kevin Bonnett, Pip Jones, David Skinner, Michelle Stanworth, and Andrew Webster. 1996. Introductory Sociology. 3rd ed. London: Macmillan.

Bruce, Steve, and Steven Yearley. 2006. The SAGE Dictionary of Sociology. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Collins English Dictionary: Complete and Unabridged. 6th ed. 2003. Glasgow, Scotland: Collins.

Marsh, Ian, and Mike Keating, eds. 2006. Sociology: Making Sense of Society. 3rd ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Princeton University. 2010. WordNet. (https://wordnet.princeton.edu/).

Scott, John, and Gordon Marshall. 2005. A Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).

Cite the Definition of Feudalism

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “feudalism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 18, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/feudalism/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

feudalism. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/feudalism/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “feudalism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 18, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/feudalism/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“feudalism.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/feudalism/>.