slavery
/ˈsleɪvəɹi/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.21 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An institution or social practice of owning human beings as property, especially for use as forced laborers.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "abolition of slavery"
- "modern slavery"
- "slavery system"
- "Slavery was abolished in the nineteenth century."
- "The film portrays the brutality of slavery."
- "THAT the Constitution does not confer upon Congress power to interfere with slavery in the States, has been admitted by all parties and confirmed by all judicial decisions ever since the origin of the Federal Government. This doctrine was emphatically recognized by the House of Representatives in the days of Washington, during the first session of the first Congress,* and has never since been seriously called in question. Hence, it became necessary for the abolitionists, in order to furnish a pretext for their assaults on Southern slavery, to appeal to a law higher than the Constitution. Slavery, according to them, was a grievous sin against God, and therefore no human Constitution could rightfully shield it from destruction. It was sinful to live in a political confederacy which tolerated slavery in any of the States composing it;[...]"
Etymology
Etymology tree substrateder.? Proto-Indo-European *ḱlewH-der.? Proto-Slavic *slov- Proto-Slavic *-ǫta Proto-Slavic *Slov-? Proto-Balto-Slavic *-ēnas Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Slavic *-inъ Proto-Slavic *-ěninъ Proto-Slavic *slověninъder. Ancient Greek Σκλαβηνός (Sklabēnós)der. Byzantine Greek Σκλᾰ́βος (Sklắbos)bor. Late Latin Sclavus Medieval Latin sclavusbor. Old French esclavebor. Middle English sclave English slave Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -ārius Old French -ier Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Old French -ie Old French -eriebor. Middle English -erie English -ery English slavery From slave + -ery.
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
chattel slavery
debt slavery
neo-slavery
sell into slavery
sexual slavery
wage slavery
white slavery
debt bondage