Slavery
/ˈsleɪ.və.ri/noun
The condition of being owned and controlled by another person as property.
Did you know?The English word ultimately comes from Medieval Latin *sclavus*, meaning both “Slav” and “slave,” because so many Slavic people were enslaved in medieval Europe that an ethnic name became a term for bondage.
Etymological Timeline
Medieval Latin
Latin
sclavus
“A Slav; later, a slave or captive person”
Old French
French
esclave
“An enslaved person”
Middle English
English
sclave / slave
“An enslaved person”
16th Century
English
slaverie
“The state or condition of being enslaved”
Modern English
English
slavery
“The system or condition of enslaving people”
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