slave

English

/sleɪv/

noun
Definitions
  • A person who is held in servitude as the property of another person, and whose labor (and often also whose body and life) is subject to the owner's volition and control.
  • (figuratively) A drudge; one who labors or is obliged (e.g. by prior contract) to labor like a slave with limited rights, e.g. an indentured servant.
  • (figuratively) An abject person.
  • (figuratively) One who has no power of resistance (to something), one who surrenders to or is under the domination (of something).
  • (BDSM) A submissive partner in a BDSM relationship who (consensually) submits to (sexually and/or personally) serving one or more masters or mistresses.
  • A sex slave, a person who is forced against their will to perform, for another person or group, sexual acts on a regular or continuing basis.
  • (engineering) A device (such as a secondary flash or hard drive) that is subject to the control of another (a master).

Etymology

Derived from Old French sclave derived from Latin sclāvus, Sclāvus derived from Σκλάβος (Slav).

Origin

Σκλάβος

Gloss

Slav

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms