Home > E Words > estate system

estate system

Definition of Estate System

(noun) A stratified system consisting of the clergy, nobility, and commoners; with interlocking legal rights and obligations.

Example of Estate System

Estate System Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: es·tate sys·tem

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /i-stAYt sIs-tuhm/
  • British English – /i-stAYt sIs-tim/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ɪˈsteɪt ˈsɪstəm/
  • British English – /ɪsˈteɪt ˈsɪstɪm/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: estate systems
  • Also called:
    • estate stratification system
    • estate system of stratification
    • feudal system
    • feudalism

Related Videos

Additional Information

Related Terms

Works Consulted

Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 2011. Sociology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Brym, Robert J., and John Lie. 2007. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.

Henslin, James M. 2012. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Macionis, John, and Kenneth Plummer. 2012. Sociology: A Global Introduction. 4th ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.

Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).

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

Schaefer, Richard. 2013. Sociology: A Brief Introduction. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Thorpe, Christopher, Chris Yuill, Mitchell Hobbs, Sarah Tomley, and Marcus Weeks. 2015. The Sociology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained. London: Dorling Kindersley.

Tischler, Henry L. 2011. Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Turner, Bryan S., ed. 2006. The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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

Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).

Cite the Definition of Estate System

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2017. “estate system.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved January 16, 2025 (https://sociologydictionary.org/estate-system/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

estate system. (2017). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/estate-system/

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

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2017. “estate system.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed January 16, 2025. https://sociologydictionary.org/estate-system/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“estate system.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2017. Web. 16 Jan. 2025. <https://sociologydictionary.org/estate-system/>.