Where does “slavery” come from?
Slavery comes from English slave plus the suffix -ery, with slave from Middle French esclave, from Latin sclavus, originally meaning "Slav" (a person from Eastern Europe), from Proto-Indo-European -kos.
slavery (English): An institution or social practice of owning human...
Definitions
- An institution or social practice of owning human...
Ancestry of “slavery”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | slaver | To drool saliva from the mouth; to slobber; To... |
| 2 | English | slave | A person who is held in servitude as the property... |
| 3 | Middle English | sclave | slave individual held in slavery |
| 4 | French | esclave | slave |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | sclavus | Slav, slave; slave |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Σκλάβος | Slav |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | Σκλαβηνός | Slavic |
| 8 | Proto-Slavic | slověninъ | Slav |
| 9 | Proto-Slavic | slovo | word |
| 10 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | ślawas | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱléwos | fame |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlew- | to hear |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |