Meaning & use
manumitted
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“manumitted” is a form of “manumit”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitiveformallegal
freed an enslaved person by a formal legal act; the past tense and past participle of 'manumit'.
Grammar: Takes an object: the owner manumitted the slave. The active form is 'manumit'; the past is 'manumitted'.
Patterns
- manumit someone
- be manumitted by someone
In her will, the plantation owner manumitted several of the people she had enslaved.
The records show that he was manumitted in 1834, the year slavery was abolished in most British colonies.
A small number of enslaved people were manumitted for faithful service, though many others were not.
Word forms
| base form | manumit |
|---|---|
| third person singular | manumits |
| past tense | manumitted |
| past participle | manumitted |
| -ing form | manumitting |
Common combinations
- manumit a slave
- The law allowed owners to manumit a slave only with the governor's approval.
- manumitted by will
- Several enslaved workers were manumitted by will after the owner died.
- legally manumitted
- Once legally manumitted, they were free to leave the estate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- emancipate
- Emancipate is the more general modern word for freeing people from slavery or control, often used about whole groups rather than one person.
- free
- Free is the everyday word; it can be used for any kind of release, while manumit is a formal legal term.
- liberate
- Liberate often suggests rescue from captivity or oppression, not the legal act of an owner freeing his own slave.
Opposites
Word family
- manumission noun
- the formal act of freeing an enslaved person
- manumitter noun
- a person who legally frees an enslaved person
Commonly confused: manumitted or emancipated?
manumitted vs emancipated
Emancipated means freed from slavery or control and is the common modern word; manumitted is a narrower legal term from the past.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'manumitted' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Manumitted' means legally freed, so it fits a formal act of freeing slaves. The other options use prepositions that suggest movement or purpose, which do not match the meaning of freeing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “manumitted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.