noun
cropper
A farmer who works rented land.
The cropper worked land rented from a local owner.
Etymology
The farmer’s name identifies the person through the crop produced. It is especially associated with farming another person’s land under a tenancy or crop-sharing arrangement.
More examples
- The agreement required the cropper to share the harvest.
- A family of croppers lived beside the field.
- The cropper negotiated new terms with the landlord.
Forms
cropper · croppers
Similar words
- tenant
- A tenant rents property; a cropper specifically farms rented land.
- sharecropper
- A sharecropper pays rent with part of the harvest; cropper is a shortened term that can refer to such a farmer.