What does slavery mean?
Slavery names the practice and institution of treating human beings as property who can be owned, bought, sold, and compelled to work. In its historical sense, it is associated with forced labour, violence, racial domination, and the denial of personal freedom, although forms of slavery have existed in many societies and periods rather than belonging to only one historical civilisation. The word is also used more broadly for extreme, involuntary control, as in comparisons between modern exploitation and historical slavery, though such comparisons can be politically or ethically contentious. In current usage, “slavery” is normally an uncountable noun: one may speak of abolishing or ending slavery, or of a person being forced into slavery. It is more specific than words such as “servitude” or “captivity,” because it identifies ownership of people as property as the defining feature. The term carries substantial historical and moral weight and is generally reserved for literal or carefully argued comparisons.
nounThe practice or institution of owning and controlling people as property, especially through forced labour or captivity. It also denotes any condition in which a person is subjected to severe, involuntary control by another.
- The practice or institution of owning and controlling people as property, especially through forced labour or captivity.
- Any condition in which a person is subjected to severe, involuntary control by another.
"The abolition of slavery became a central demand of the civil-rights movement."
"Historians have examined how slavery operated differently across societies and historical periods."
"The speaker described the treatment of workers as a form of slavery."
The plural is used when referring to multiple enslaved people or to the historical category of people held as property.
"The survivors were treated as slaves and sold to the highest bidder."
From slave to slavery: one added suffix turns the condition of an enslaved person into the name of a whole system of oppression.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does slavery come from?
The word entered Middle English in the 14th century in the form “slaverie,” formed from “slave” by the addition of the suffix “-ery.” “Slave” itself comes from Old English “slæf,” meaning a captive or servant, although its deeper historical connections remain debated. The modern compound therefore developed by shifting from the condition of an enslaved person to the name of the practice or institution itself.
Related word forms
How slavery is actually used
Slavery is primarily used as an uncountable noun. It is a strongly serious and often morally or historically charged term, so it should not be used as a casual synonym for ordinary hardship, obligation, or difficult work.
Easily confused with slavery
Servitude is a broad condition of compelled service or dependence, whereas slavery specifically involves treating people as property and is therefore more restrictive in meaning.