servitude

Meaning

  1. (countable, uncountable) The state of being a slave; slavery; being forced to work for others or do their bidding without one's consent or against one's will, either in perpetuity or for a period of time over which one has little or no control.
  2. (countable, uncountable) A qualified beneficial interest severed or fragmented from the ownership of an inferior property and attached to a superior property or to some person other than the owner; the most common form is an easement.
  3. (countable, dated, uncountable) Service rendered in the army or navy.
  4. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Servants collectively.
  5. (archaic, countable, uncountable) The act of serving (food or drink, etc.); service.

Synonyms

slavery
C1
bondage
C2
service
A2
serfdom
servility
easement
enslavement
48k
captivity
C2
thraldom
thralldom
work
A1
yoke
24k
helotry

male slave

bonded labour

office of a servant

bonded labor
bonded labor
business
A1
bonded labour
confinement
C2
dependence
31k
devotion
C1
job
A1
bondman
subjection
subjugation
Translations

servitude
servidumbre
servage
servitù
lijfeigenschap
servidão
esclavitud
herendienst

δουλεία

servitud
Sklaverei

ligatio

joug

σκλαβιά

servitus
Frequency

28k
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈsɜːvɪtʃuːd/
Etymology

From Middle French servitude, from Latin servitūdō, from Latin servus (“slave”). Equivalent to serve + -itude.

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English