servitude

[sur-vi-tood, -tyood]

noun

1. slavery or bondage of any kind.

   political or intellectual servitude.

   Synonyms: thralldom, serfdom
   Antonyms: liberty

2. compulsory service or labor as a punishment for criminals.

   penal servitude.

3. Law.,  a right possessed by one person to use another's property.

servitude

/ ˈsɜːvɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. the state or condition of a slave; bondage

2. the state or condition of being subjected to or dominated by a person or thing

   servitude to drink

3. law a burden attaching to an estate for the benefit of an adjoining estate or of some definite person See also easement

4. short for penal servitude

Word History and Origins

Origin of servitude¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Late Latin servitūdō, equivalent to servi-, combining form of servus “slave” + -tūdō, -tude

Word History and Origins

Origin of servitude¹

C15: via Old French from Latin servitūdō, from servus a slave

Synonym Study

See slavery.

Example Sentences

His appeal to latter-day fascists is limited, given that the early success of his regime led only to servitude and then total catastrophe.

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That also means that very soon Father will be freed from his servitude.

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Six seasons of TV and three feature films depict servitude as a benevolent state, sometimes verging on jolly.

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In 1870, the 15th Amendment prohibited the states from denying or abridging the right of citizens to vote based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Their loss was a "systematic and deliberate" aspect of the oppression of the San and Khoekhoe peoples who were forced into servitude, he said.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• bondage 
• enslavement 
• serfdom 
• subjugation