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Noun: peonage  pee-u-nij
  1. The practice of making a debtor work for their creditor until the debt is discharged
    "Peonage was a form of debt bondage that persisted in some areas despite being illegal"
     
  2. The condition of a peon
    "The workers lived in a state of peonage, trapped by debt and unable to leave their jobs"

Derived forms: peonages

Type of: pattern, practice, subjection, subjugation

Encyclopedia: Peonage