slave — a person who is owned by another person and is forced to work for them without pay
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a person who is owned by another person and is forced to work for them without pay
Pronunciation (IPA): /sleɪv/
Example Sentences
- My mom says I'm a slave to my video games, but I prefer to call it 'dedicated gaming research.'
- The office workers felt like slaves to their email notifications.
- He slaved over the hot stove all day to prepare the perfect meal, only to burn the toast at the last minute.
slave
NOUN[/sleɪv/]
a person who is owned by another person and is forced to work for them without pay

A person forced to work for others without freedom

Be brave to save a slave!
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word derives from Medieval Latin sclavus, which originally referred to the Slavic people. During the Middle Ages, as large numbers of Slavic peoples were enslaved and sold into servitude, the term gradually shifted in meaning from an ethnic designation to a general term for a enslaved person.
Breakdown
Medieval Latin sclavus (Slavic people) → Old French esclave → Middle English slave, with the original ethnic reference semantically narrowed to denote enslaved status rather than origin.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My mom says I'm a slave to my video games, but I prefer to call it 'dedicated gaming research.'”
“The office workers felt like slaves to their email notifications.”
“He slaved over the hot stove all day to prepare the perfect meal, only to burn the toast at the last minute.”
“The abolition of slavery was a major milestone in human rights history.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related
Want to master 19,000+ words?
Sign up free for flashcards & quizzes.