manumit

Definitions

manu (hand, from manus) + mit (send, let go) = "to send forth from the hand." In Roman law, a master freed a slave by symbolically releasing him from his hand — letting go of his grip of ownership. A rare but vivid window onto how literal the root sense once was.

Common Collocations

• 1.manumit slaves释放奴隶

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The will instructed that all his slaves be manumitted.

• 2.

  Some owners chose to manumit slaves in their lifetime.