slave Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a person who is owned by someone
  2. noun someone who works as hard as a slave
    hard worker; striver.
  3. noun someone entirely dominated by some influence or person
    • a slave to fashion
    • a slave to cocaine
    • his mother was his abject slave
  4. verb work very hard, like a slave
    buckle down; break one's back; knuckle down.

WordNet

Slave noun
Definitions
  1. See Slav.
Slave noun
Etymology
Cf. F. esclave, D. slaaf, Dan. slave, sclave, Sw. slaf, all fr. G. sklave, MHG. also slave, from the national name of the Slavonians, or Sclavonians (in LL. Slavi or Sclavi), who were frequently made slaves by the Germans. See Slav.
Definitions
  1. A person who is held in bondage to another; one who is wholly subject to the will of another; one who is held as a chattel; one who has no freedom of action, but whose person and services are wholly under the control of another.
    thou our slave, Our captive, at the public mill our drudge? Milton.
  2. One who has lost the power of resistance; one who surrenders himself to any power whatever; as, a slave to passion, to lust, to strong drink, to ambition.
  3. A drudge; one who labors like a slave.
  4. An abject person; a wretch. Shak. Syn. -- Bond servant; bondman; bondslave; captive; henchman; vassal; dependent; drudge. See Serf.
Slave intransitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Slaved ; present participle & verbal noun Slaving
Definitions
  1. To drudge; to toil; to labor as a slave.
Slave transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To enslave. Marston.

Webster 1913