Kholop

A kholop (Ukrainian and Russian холо́п; , ) was a type of feudal serf in Kievan Rus' from the 9th to early 12th centuries. The legal status of kholops in the 16th-century Tsardom of Russia was essentially the same as slaves.

== Etymology == The word холо́п was first mentioned in a chronicle for the year 986. The word is cognate with Slavic words translated as "man" or "boy" ( (), , () "kid"). () is a synonym for "man" in Slovak ( "boy" thus being the diminutive). Such transitions between the meanings "young person" and "servant" (in both directions) are commonplace, as evident from the English use of "boy" in the sense of "domestic servant".