a person who is owned by someone
"The historical documentary highlighted how enslaved people were treated as property rather than human beings during that era."
someone who works as hard as a slave
"The new intern worked like a slave, answering every email and taking notes during meetings without ever asking for a break."
someone entirely dominated by some influence or person
"a slave to fashion"
"a slave to cocaine"
"his mother was his abject slave"
A person who is held in servitude as the property of another person, and whose labor (and often also whose body and life) is subject to the owner's volition and control.
"The medieval manuscript incorrectly identified the Slavic tribes as a distinct group called slaves, but modern historians correct that obsolete usage."
Obsolete form of Slav.
In plain English: A slave is a person who is owned by another and forced to work without pay.
"The novel depicts the brutal lives of slaves in the American South before the Civil War."
work very hard, like a slave
"After spending ten hours fixing the leaky roof alone, he complained that he had worked himself to death like a modern-day slave."
To work as a slaver, to enslave people.
"During the colonial era, many ships crossed the Atlantic not just to transport goods but to capture and sell enslaved Africans."
In plain English: To be forced to work for someone else without any freedom or choice.
"The new software update will make your phone work harder and faster."
Usage: Use this verb only in historical contexts or when describing the act of forcibly reducing someone to slavery; it is not appropriate for modern employment situations where workers are under contract. Avoid using "enslave" if you simply mean hiring an employee, as that term specifically implies a loss of personal freedom rather than standard labor relations.
Alternative form of Slavey
"The old atlas mistakenly labeled the Scottish river as a slave instead of its correct name, Slavey."
The word "slave" entered Middle English from the French sclave, which originally referred to a person from Slavic lands who was often captured and forced into servitude during the Middle Ages. This term eventually replaced the native Old English word þēow while retaining its connection to the people of Eastern Europe.