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

译员海燕，毕业于法国顶尖的高级翻译学院，专注翻译各种与破产对抗诉讼有关的法律文件。