Slave

n. [D. slaaf, O. D. slave, slaeve, Dan. slave, sclaeve, Sw. slaf, Ger. sklave, Fr. esclave, Pr. esclau, Sp. esclavo, Pg. escravo, It. schiavo, from the Slavonians or Sclavonians, L. Lat. Slavi or Sclavi, who were frequently made slaves by the Germans. See infra.]

1Sense 1. A person who is held in bondage to another; one who is wholly subject to the will of another; one who has no freedom of action, but whose person and services are wholly under the control of another.

Thou art our slave, our captive. Milton.

2Sense 2. One who has lost the power of resistance; or one who surrenders himself to any power whatever; as, a slave to passion, to lust, to ambition.

3Sense 3. A drudge; one who labors like a slave.

Slave is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, slave-breeder, slave-dealer, slave-like, slave-market, slave-merchant, slave-owner, and the like.

Synonyms— Bond-servant; bondman; bond-slave; captive; henchman; vassal; dependent; drudge. See SERF.

n. [Commonly derived from Pol. and Bohem. slawa, glory, but by some from slowo, a word, speech, language. Most probably, however, the original meaning was independent, free.] One belonging to the Slavonic race.

To enslave. [Rare.] Marston.