Affranchised

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To gain freedom from control and obligations signifies a state of independence that also includes the acquisition of rights commonly associated with citizenship or membership
2. Released from bondage or servitude, becoming no longer a slave; endowed with civil rights or legal status previously withheld
3. Liberated from captivity or involuntary bondage ; bestowed with legal privileges and rights typical of full members of a society

Etymology: "Affranchised" is the past tense and past participle of "affranchise," a verb meaning to free someone from slavery or bondage. The verb came into English in the late Middle English period, borrowed from Old French "afranchiss-", the stem of "afranchir," which means "to free." Its ancestor "franchir" carried the same sense of setting free, and the modern French "affranchir" still means to free, as well as to stamp a letter with postage, a sense that shows how far the idea of release can stretch. The word is built from two parts. The prefix "a-" (from Latin "ad," meaning "to" or "toward") joins with "franchir," so the verb literally moves someone toward freedom. English speakers later also knew the root from "franchise" and "frank," which share the same ancestry of freedom and privilege, so "affranchise" sits in a family of words all tied to being free.

Synonyms: liberated, freed, emancipated

Antonyms: enslaved, subjugated