Slave

Pronunciation

• enPR: slāv, IPA: /sleɪv/
• Rhymes: -eɪv

Alternative forms

Origin

From Middle English, from Old French sclave, from Medieval Latin sclāvus ("slave"), from Sclāvus ("Slav"), because Slavs were often forced into slavery in the Middle Ages.

Dictionary.com

Merriam Webster Online

Etymonline

Compare Byzantine Greek σκλάβος

The word slavery may also be derived from standard Latin servus or servi which was in use before middle ages.

“http://books.google.com.au/books?id=2GbgfLmCR-YC&pg=PA64&dq=slave+latin+word&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ivwsU8yhN8a8oQTm-ILYBw&ved=0CDQQ6AEwADge#v=onepage&q=slave%20latin%20word&f=false”Economic Structures of Antiquity

.

Full definition of slave

Noun

1. A person who is the property of another person and whose labor and also whose life often is subject to the owner's volition.
2. A person who is legally obliged by prior contract (oral or written) to work for another, with contractually limited rights to bargain; an indentured servant.
3. One who has lost the power of resistance; one who surrenders to something.a slave to passion, to strong drink, or to ambition
4. A drudge; one who labours like a slave.
5. An abject person; a wretch.Art thou the slave that with thy breath hast kill'd/ Mine innocent child? Shakespeare. Much Ado About Nothing.
6. A person who is forced against his/her will to perform, for another person or other persons, sexual acts or other personal services on a regular or continuing basis.
7. (engineering) A device that is controlled by another device.

Derived terms

Verb

1. (intransitive) To work hard.I was slaving all day over a hot stove.
2. (transitive) To enslave.
3. (transitive) To place a device under the control of another.to slave a hard disk
• 2005, Simon Millward, Fast Guide to Cubase SX (page 403)Slaving one digital audio device to another unit using timecode alone results in time-based synchronisation...

Anagrams

• avels
• salve
• selva
• vales