slavery — 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
Slavery — 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
Slavery — 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
Slavery — 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
Slavery — 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
slavery — (n.) 1550s; from SLAVE (Cf. slave) + ERY (Cf. ery) … Etymology dictionary
slavery — *servitude, bondage … New Dictionary of Synonyms
slavery — [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
slavery — ► NOUN 1) the state of being a slave. 2) the practice or system of owning slaves … English terms dictionary
slavery — [slā′vər ē, slāv′rē] n. 1. the owning or keeping of slaves as a practice or institution; slaveholding 2. the condition of being a slave; bondage; servitude 3. a condition of submission to or domination by some influence, habit, etc. 4. hard work… … English World dictionary