Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SLAVE, n. [D. slaaf; G. sclave; Dan. slave, sclave; Sw. slaf; Fr. esclave; Arm. sclaff; It. schiavo; Sp. esclavo; Port. escravo; Ir. sclabhadh. This word is commonly derived fram Sclavi, Sclavonians, the name of a people who were made slaves by the Venetians. But this is not certain.]

1. A person who is wholly subject to the will of another; one who has no will of his own, but whose person and service are wholly under the control of another. In the early state of the world, and to this day, among some barbarous nations, prisoners of war are considered and treated as slaves. The slaves of modern times are more generally purchased, like horses and oxen.
2. One who has lost the power of resistance; or one who surrenders himself to any power whatever; as, a slave to passion, to lust, to ambition. – Waller.
3. A mean person; one in the lowest state of life.
4. A drudge; one who labors like a slave.