Servitude
/ˈsɜːrvɪtjuːd/
Definitions
2 meaningsThe state of being under the control of someone else and obligated to serve them, often involving forced labor or extreme dependence.
/ˈsɜːrvɪtjuːd/
The state of being a slave or completely subject to someone more powerful.
Many people suffered under a system of forced servitude.
💡 Simply: Imagine being stuck working for someone who bosses you around all the time, and you have to do whatever they say. That's kind of like servitude, where you're not really free to do what you want.
👶 For kids: Being a servant, or having to do what someone else tells you to do all the time.
More Examples
The fight for freedom involved breaking the chains of servitude.
Indentured servitude was a common practice in the early colonies.
How It's Used
"The abolition of servitude was a major social reform."
"The citizens were under a system of governmental servitude"
A figurative extension of being controlled by something (e.g., addiction, emotion, or a system) to the point of losing one's freedom or autonomy.
/ˈsɜːrvɪtjuːd/
A condition of subjection to someone or something.
He felt in servitude to his debts.
💡 Simply: Imagine something that really controls you, like always needing to check your phone. That feeling of being controlled by something is like servitude.
👶 For kids: Being controlled by something, like when you always have to do something.
More Examples
The country was in economic servitude to foreign powers.
She was in mental servitude to her past traumas.
How It's Used
"His addiction had him in servitude to the drug."
"Her heart felt in servitude to his whims"
Synonyms & Antonyms
Idioms & expressions
indentured servitude
A form of labor where a person is bound by a contract to work for a specific period of time, often to pay off a debt.
"Indentured servitude was a common practice in the colonies where people could earn their passage to the new world by working for a set amount of time."
From Middle French *servitude*, from Latin *servitudo*, from *servus* meaning 'slave'. It evolved to encompass broader forms of forced labor and dependence, reflecting historical practices like feudalism and indentured servitude.
The term *servitude* has been used since the Middle Ages to describe various forms of forced labor and dependency, evolving from the context of slavery to include broader social and economic constraints. It appears frequently in historical legal documents, philosophical texts discussing human rights, and literature depicting social inequalities.
Memory tip
Think of the 'serve' in servitude, and imagine someone completely at the mercy of another. That is servitude.
Word Origin
"slave"