servitude

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French servitude, from Latin servitūs, from Latin servus (“slave”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsɝvɪtud/

Noun

servitude (countable and uncountable, plural servitudes)

1. The state of being a slave; slavery.
   • 1913, Elizabeth Kimball Kendall, A Wayfarer in China

     In spite of the importance of this route it remained until a few years ago very insecure. Overhung almost its entire length by the inaccessible fastnesses of Lololand, the passing caravans dared journey only with convoy, and even then were frequently overwhelmed by raiders from the hills, who carried off both trader and goods into the mountains, the former to lifelong servitude.

2. (law) 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.

See also

• servitude on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• divesture

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin servitūdō, from Latin servus.

Noun

servitude f (plural servitudes)

1. servitude, thralldom

Further reading

• “servitude” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Etymology

From Latin servitus, servitutem, probably a borrowing.

Noun

servitude f (plural servitudes)

1. servitude (the state of being a serf or slave)