French word

féodal

Pronunciation

IPA/feodal/

Meaning

  • adjectivefeudal

Example

Le village conserve un style féodal.

The village retains a feudal style.

Illustration for féodal (feudal)

More examples

Cette entreprise a encore une mentalité féodale.

This company still has a feudal mentality.

Core concept

A hierarchy in which land anchors bonds of service between a lord and those dependent on him.

Common phrases

  • mentalité féodale

    feudal mentality

  • manière féodale

    feudal way

Similar words

autoritaire: Forcefully imposing personal opinions or orders on others.
conservateur: Favoring traditions and established institutions over change.
rigide: Inflexible and resistant to change.
rétrograde: Resisting progress and favoring outdated ideas or methods.

Definition in French

Qui se rapporte au système des fiefs, aux seigneurs et aux liens personnels de dépendance entre vassaux et suzerains.

Word origin

French féodal comes through medieval Latin feudalis from feudum or feodum, a word for a fief whose deeper origin is uncertain.

Usage tips

  • In modern French, féodal often describes an organization or practice critically in the figurative sense, not only medieval history.

Opposites

Related words

  • féodalitéfeudalismnoun

Word lists with this word