slavery

Noun

slavery (usually uncountable, plural slaveries)

1. (usually) An institution or social practice of owning human beings as property, especially for use as forced laborers.
   • abolition of slavery
   • modern slavery
2. (usually) Forced labor in general, regardless of legality.
3. (usually) A condition of servitude endured by a slave.
   • If you wil willingly remaine with me,
     You ſhall haue honors, as your merits be:
     Or els you ſhal be forc’d with ſlauerie.c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC...
   • Our victories on Voeld are only the beginning of what we can achieve, but we can't defeat the enemy without your help. If you're tired of living in fear, if you believe we were meant for something greater than slavery, if you're willing to stand up and fight: you'll find a new family in the...2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: The Resistance Needs Volunteers
4. (figuratively, usually) A condition in which one is captivated or subjugated, as by greed or drugs.
   • Man seeks for gold in mines that he may weave / A lasting chain for his own slavery.1818, Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Revolt of Islam, canto 8, stanza 16

Adjective

IPA/ˈslævəɹi/

slavery (comparative more slavery, superlative most slavery)

1. Covered in slaver; slobbery.
   • The giant snow bear, the wolf with slavery jaws or the claws of the silent great cats were all a part. Creatures of man's oldest nightmares were the other side of that face.2014, Lisa Williamson, Echoes of Elder Times Collection