SLAVERY Definition & Meaning

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slavery

[ sley-vuh-ree, sleyv-ree ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the condition of being enslaved, held, or owned as human chattel or property; bondage.
Synonyms: ,
a practice or institution that treats or recognizes some human beings as the legal property of others.
a state of subjection like that of a slave:
He longed to escape the slavery of drug addiction.
severe toil; drudgery.
Synonyms: ,

slavery

/ ˈ��ɪ��ə��ɪ /

noun

the state or condition of being a slave; a civil relationship whereby one person has absolute power over another and controls his life, liberty, and fortune
the subjection of a person to another person, esp in being forced into work
the condition of being subject to some influence or habit
work done in harsh conditions for low pay

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Other 51�Թ� Forms

��·��İ�·�� adjective noun

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of slavery¹

First recorded in 1545–55; slav(e) + -ery

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Synonym Study

Slavery, bondage, servitude refer to involuntary subjection to another or others. Slavery emphasizes the idea of complete ownership and control by an owner or master: to be sold into slavery. Bondage indicates a state of subjugation or captivity often involving burdensome and degrading labor: in bondage to a cruel master. Servitude is compulsory service, often such as is required by a legal penalty: penal servitude.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

They were for the immediate abolition of slavery and for Black rights, but they formed alliances with anti-slavery moderates and politicians who didn't want to go beyond the non-expansion of slavery.

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In 1977, the TV series Roots - set in the era of American slavery - drew huge audiences and was nominated for nearly 40 Emmy awards.

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"Many have taken non-violent direct action over the centuries from the abolition of slavery to women's suffrage and prison reform."

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Among Southern intellectuals and their supporters in antebellum America, there were those who defended slavery not just on racial grounds, but as an inherently superior social system.

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One specific issue raised by the order is the depiction of race, the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow laws, and other historical narratives in the Smithsonian’s collections.

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