Definitions

1. noun

A system of concubinage in which enslaved African women were given to European colonizers in Louisiana, often as a status symbol or to form alliances.

“The historian researched the effects of placage on the social dynamics of 18th-century Louisiana.”

2. noun

A type of marriage or partnership in which a woman is given or taken as a partner by a man, often with the intention of raising social status.

“The practice of placage was widespread among the Creole population of New Orleans.”