helot

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
helot /ˈhɛlət/

▶noun

• 1 a member of a class of serfs in ancient Sparta, intermediate in status between slaves and citizens.

• 2 a serf or slave.

– derivatives
helotage noun,
helotism noun,
helotry noun.

– origin via L. from Gk Heilōtes (pl.), traditionally taken as referring to Helos, a Laconian town whose inhabitants were enslaved.