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servitude
noun
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Servitude is slavery or anything resembling it. The entire black population of colonial America lived in permanent servitude. And millions of the whites who populated this country arrived in "indentured servitude", obliged to pay off the cost of their journey with several years of labor. Servitude comes in many forms, of course: in the bad old days of the British navy, it was said that the difference between going to sea and going to jail was that you were less likely to drown in jail.
Synonyms
Examples of servitude in a Sentence
Word History
Middle English, "slavery, bondage, feudal allegiance," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French servitute, borrowed from Late Latin servitūdin-, servitūdō "condition of being a slave," from Latin servus "slave" + -i- -i- + -tūdin-, -tūdō -tude — more at serve entry 1
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near servitude
Cite this Entry
“Servitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/servitude. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
servitude
nounLegal Definition
servitude
nounNote: A predial servitude is transferred along with the ownership of the dominant estate, and the servient estate is always taken subject to the servitude. A predial servitude cannot be transferred separately from the dominant estate.
More from Merriam-Webster on servitude
Nglish: Translation of servitude for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of servitude for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about servitude
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