indentured servant

Hist. A servant who contracted to work without wages for a fixed period in exchange for some benefit, such as learning a trade or cancellation of a debt or paid passage to another country, and the promise of freedom when the contract period expired.

• Indentured servitude could be voluntary or involuntary. A contract usu. lasted from four to ten years, but the servant could terminate the contract sooner by paying for the unexpired time. Convicts transported to the colonies were often required to serve as indentured servants as part of their sentences.

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词条贡献者

译者妍妍，毕业于亚洲顶尖的高级翻译学院，擅长翻译各种与科技、媒体和电信（TMT）相关的法律文件。