the state of being under the control of a force or influence or abstract power
"he was in bondage to fear"
"he sought release from his bondage to Satan"
"a self freed from the bondage of time"
sexual practice that involves physically restraining (by cords or handcuffs) one of the partners
"During their intense role-play session, they exchanged leather cuffs as part of a consensual bondage scene."
The state of being enslaved or the practice of slavery.
"The historical exhibition detailed the brutal reality of bondage, showing how thousands were forced to work without pay for generations."
In plain English: Bondage is a state of being tied up and unable to move freely.
"The movie featured a scene with elements of bondage where characters were tied up against their will."
Usage: In modern everyday usage, "bondage" almost exclusively refers to sexual fetishes involving restraint rather than the historical state of slavery. Avoid using it to describe actual enslavement, as that meaning has become archaic and is rarely understood in contemporary conversation.
The word bondage entered English via Middle English to mean "serfdom," tracing its roots back to an Old Norse term for a householder or head of a family. Its modern sense evolved through association with the related words bond and bind, shifting from describing social status to implying restriction.