helotism

(helə tiz′əm)

noun

  1. the condition of a helot; serfdom or slavery
  2. Biol. a form of symbiosis, as among some ants, in which one species dominates and uses workers of another species

See helotism in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. A system under which a nominally free social class or a religious, national, or racial minority is permanently oppressed and degraded.
  2. A type of symbiosis, as among certain ants, in which one species is dominant and makes the members of another species perform the tasks required for their mutual survival.
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