bondage

Meaning

Noun

• The state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery.
• The state of lacking freedom; constraint.
• The practice of physically restraining people for sexual pleasure, such as by tying up or shackling.
• Applied to clothing with many buckles, zips, etc., associated with punk and goth subcultures.

Related

Opposite words

• freedom

Origin

• From Middle English bondage ("serfdom"), from British Medieval Latin bondagium ("an inferior tenure held by a bond or husbandman"), from Middle English bond ("a tenant farmer, serf"), from Old English bonda ("a householder, husband, head of a family"), of Old Norse origin.