noun
manumission
man-yoo-MISH-un/ˌmænjuˈmɪʃn/
Formal release from slavery or legal bondage.
The document records the manumission of three people held in slavery.
Etymology
The hand here represents a master's power over an enslaved person. Combined with release, it gives the image of letting someone out of that control—the legal freeing expressed by manumission.
In context
Cuz what happens at Passover? Passover is about the manumission of slaves. Right? It's about people being set free from slavery.
More examples
- His will provided for the manumission of everyone he enslaved.
- She petitioned the court for manumission.
- The archive holds certificates documenting individual manumissions.
Forms
manumission · manumissions
manumit verb — To formally free someone from slavery.
Similar words
- emancipation
- Can describe broader freedom from legal restrictions or social control.
- liberation
- Includes freedom from captivity or oppression without formal legal action.