What does manumitted mean?
Manumitted means released from slavery through a formal legal process. The word is especially common in historical, legal, and genealogical writing, where it distinguishes a legally recognized act of liberation from informal flight, informal freedom, or a broader political idea of emancipation. A manumitted person could continue working for a former owner, become a wage earner, or establish an independent household, depending on the laws and circumstances. The term is also associated with Roman law, where manumission was a defined legal procedure and could carry civic as well as personal consequences. In present-day English, manumitted is more precise but more specialized than words such as freed or emancipated, and it most often appears in records concerning the legal histories of enslaved people.
adjectiveReleased from slavery; legally freed. The term is chiefly used in legal and historical contexts.
- Released from slavery as a result of a formal legal act; freed.
"The records identify her as a manumitted enslaved woman who later established her own household."
"The court granted the manumitted woman legal ownership of her property."
"Historians are tracing the lives of manumitted people through baptism and census records."
Roman law made manumission a formal legal act, not merely a release in everyday practice.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does manumitted come from?
Manumitted is the past participle of manumit. The word comes through Latin manumittere, formed from manus, meaning “hand,” and mittere, meaning “to send,” in reference to the formal act of placing an enslaved person for release. Related English words such as manual, manufacture, and manipulate preserve the same ancient Latin root.
Related word forms
How manumitted is actually used
Chiefly legal, historical, and biographical. In modern usage it usually appears in accounts of slavery, emancipation, or historical records; “emancipated” is often more readily understood in general contexts.