Manumitted

Manumitted is an adjective describing a person who has been granted freedom from slavery by the owner or master. The verb manumit means to release someone from bondage. The term derives from the Latin manumittere (manus, hand + mittere, to send), conveying the act of freeing a controlled person from the master's hand.

In ancient Rome, manumission was a formal legal process. A slave could obtain freedom through a ceremony, by will, or by a deed of manumission. Freed individuals, liberti or libertae, often became clients of their former masters and could earn or purchase certain rights over time, with varying degrees of civic status depending on the period and jurisdiction.

Across other parts of the world, manumission occurred in colonial settings and in slave societies. In many Caribbean islands, Latin American colonies, and in the United States, owners might grant freedom through deeds, wills, or legislative acts, sometimes under conditions such as continued service, apprenticeship, or payment to the former master. Freed people typically faced legal restrictions or social discrimination, though some attained full civic rights.

Today the term is largely historical in places where slavery has been abolished. In genealogical or historical contexts, “manumitted” indicates the formal release of an enslaved person; the more general modern term is emancipation. The concept remains relevant for understanding the transition from bondage to freedom and the residual status of freed people in various societies.