Etymologically
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slavery

Etymology and origin of the English word slavery

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1551

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈsleɪvəɹi/, /ˈsleɪvɹi/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from slave and -ery.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Severe toil like a slave's, drudgery: 1551 in the OED and MWU, the 1550s in Etymonline.[5][4][2]

Semantic evolution

Base conduct befitting a slave is a rare obsolete sense of 1553.[5] The condition of being a slave, entire subjection to another's will, is from the 1570s in Etymonline; the OED dates the figurative subjection from 1577 and the literal condition from 1604.[2][5] The keeping of slaves, slaves existing as a class, is from 1728.[2][5] A separate adjective slavery, covered with slaver (drool), is from about 1430.[5][3]

Timeline

  • 1551 – drudgery.[5][4]
  • 1577 – subjection to some influence.[5]
  • 1604 – the condition of a slave.[5]
  • 1728 – the keeping of slaves.[2][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The condition of being a slave; bondage.
  2. The practice or system of owning slaves.
  3. The state of being dominated by an influence or habit.
  4. Hard, badly paid work; drudgery.

Word family

  • antislavery
  • preslavery
  • proslavery
  • white slavery

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Slavery.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/slavery. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·