the practice of owning slaves
"The abolitionist movement worked tirelessly to end slavery, the brutal practice of owning human beings as property."
work done under harsh conditions for little or no pay
"The workers in the factory were subjected to slavery, forced to labor twelve hours a day for wages that barely covered their food."
An institution or social practice of owning human beings as property, especially for use as forced laborers.
"The abolitionist movement worked tirelessly to dismantle slavery, an institution where human beings were treated as property and forced into unpaid labor."
In plain English: Slavery is when someone owns another person and forces them to work without pay.
"The movie told a heartbreaking story about slavery in the American South."
Usage: Slavery refers to the historical and legal system where people are owned by others and forced to work without pay. This term describes a specific social institution rather than general hard labor or voluntary service.
Covered in slaver; slobbery.
"The dog licked his master's hand until it was covered in slaver and felt slobbery."
"The old slavery ship sat rusting in the harbor for decades after its voyage ended."
The word slavery comes from combining the noun slave with the suffix -ery. This formation created a term specifically referring to the condition or system of being enslaved.