slavery

  • 1slavery — refers to a variety of forms of unfreedom, such as serfdom and bonded labour. However, it is normally associated with chattel slavery, in which the human being is a thing to be bought or sold, and does not have the status of personhood. Chattel… …

    Dictionary of sociology

  • 2Slavery — Slav er*y, n.; pl. {Slaveries}. [See 2d {Slave}.] 1. The condition of a slave; the state of entire subjection of one person to the will of another. [1913 Webster] Disguise thyself as thou wilt, still, slavery, said I, still thou art a bitter… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3Slavery —    Slavery played a minor role in ancient Egypt, contrary to modern expectations. There was no large scale exploitation of slavery. Most slaves were acquired as booty in war or to a lesser extent from the sale of criminals or debtors. Most slaves …

    Ancient Egypt

  • 4slavery — index bondage, captivity, restraint, servitude, subjection, thrall Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …

    Law dictionary

  • 5Slavery —    Slavery existed throughout the history of Byzantium (q.v.) as an inheritance from Roman times that the church tolerated. Prisoners of war were a common source of slaves. From the 10th century onward campaigns in the Balkan Peninsula (q.v.)… …

    Historical dictionary of Byzantium

  • 6Slavery — was often the fate of soldiers captured on a battlefield, as well as those captured at sea by pirates. The *AS enslaved many *Britons, most of whom worked on the land. Those who worked for the AS aristocracy within the house might well have had… …

    Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • 7slavery — (n.) 1550s; from SLAVE (Cf. slave) + ERY (Cf. ery) …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 8slavery — *servitude, bondage …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 9slavery — [n] state of working under duress or without freedom bondage, bullwork, captivity, chains* constraint, drudge, drudgery, enslavement, enthrallment, feudalism, grind, helotry, indenture, labor, menial labor, moil, peonage, restraint, serfdom,… …

    New thesaurus

  • 10slavery — ► NOUN 1) the state of being a slave. 2) the practice or system of owning slaves …

    English terms dictionary