slave
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
While all five words describe people in subordinate or owned roles, they differ critically in legal status and historical context. A 'servant' is a paid worker who is free to leave employment — the key difference from a 'slave,' who is the legal property of another person with no rights or personal freedom. A 'serf' in medieval Europe was tied to a specific piece of land rather than owned as property; serfs could not leave the land but had limited rights and were not individually bought and sold. 'Bondservant' is an older term for someone bound to serve a master, sometimes voluntarily for a set period to repay a debt, overlapping with indentured servitude. 'Chattel' is a legal term for a movable item of property, and when applied to people, it emphasises being treated as an object that can be bought and sold. Use 'slave' for the general concept of legal ownership, 'serf' for feudal land-tied labour, and 'servant' for paid employment.
Common collocations
Phrases
- like a slave
Prepositions
Etymology
The word 'slave' entered English from Old French 'esclave,' which came from Medieval Latin 'sclavus.' That Latin word originally meant 'Slav,' because during the early Middle Ages many Slavic people from Central and Eastern Europe were captured and sold as forced labourers across the Mediterranean region. Over time, the ethnic label became the general term for any person held as the property of another.
First known use
14th century
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb