freeman

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English freman, inherited from Old English frēoman (“free-born man”),^[2][3][4] a compound of frēo (“free”) and mann (“man”).^[2][5] Similar compounds occur in Old Frisian frīmann, Middle Dutch vrīman and Old High German frīman, which the OED regards as cognates or parallel formations from the Germanic bases of free and man.^[6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A man who is personally free, not a slave or serf: Old English, in the poem Genesis A.^[6][7]

Semantic evolution

From the personal freedom of a man who was nobody's slave, the word passed to political and civic freedom.^[6] From 1387 a freeman was a person who held the freedom of a city, borough, company or guild, with the rights that went with it, a sense still used for honorary freemen of British towns.^[6][7][8] In Australia from 1791 it meant a colonist who had not been transported as a convict, or a freed convict.^[6] In the North American fur trade from 1803 it meant a trapper who, having left a company's service, hunted on his own account.^[6][9] British slang had freeman's quay (or key), a notional place where drink was free, from 1811,^[6] and on the freeman's, free of charge, is still heard.^[10]

Timeline

• Old English – a man who is not a slave or serf.^[6]
• 1387 – one who holds the freedom of a city, borough or guild.^[6]
• 1791 – in Australia, a colonist who was not a convict.^[6]
• 1803 – in North America, an independent fur trapper.^[6][9]
• 1811 – slang freeman's quay, a place of free drink.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who is free, not a slave or serf.
2. A person who enjoys full civil and political rights; a citizen.
3. A person who has been given the freedom of a city or the full membership of a company or guild.
4. (historical, Australia) A settler who was not a convict, or a convict who had been freed.

Related words

• freedom
• freehold
• yeoman

Usage notes

As a surname, Freeman is widespread in England, especially in the Midlands and the south-east.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
4. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ Gove, Philip Babcock, ed. (1961), Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
9. ^ a b Dollinger, Stefan, ed., A Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles, 3rd ed. (online), Vancouver: University of British Columbia, dchp.arts.ubc.ca
10. ^ Dalzell, Tom; Victor, Terry, eds. (2013), The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 2nd ed., London: Routledge