slaveholder

American  

[sleyv-hohl-der] / ˈsleɪvˌhoʊl dər /

noun

1. an owner of enslaved people in the institution of chattel slavery.

---

slaveholder British  

/ ˈsleɪvˌhəʊldə /

noun

1. a person who owns slaves

---

Other Word Forms

• nonslaveholding adjective
• slaveholding noun

Etymology

Origin of slaveholder

First recorded in 1770–80; slave + holder

Example Sentences

By the late 1850s, Northerners were equally fed up with the Supreme Court, which under Chief Justice Roger B. Taney was seen as a rubber stamp for slaveholders’ goals.

From Los Angeles Times

California passed a fugitive slave law — rare among free states — in 1852 that allowed slaveholders to use violence to capture enslaved people who had fled to the Golden State.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2016, Harvard Law School agreed to change a shield that was based on the crest of an 18th Century slaveholder.

From BBC

“All men are created equal,” wrote slaveholder Thomas Jefferson, in words that have been a source of consternation ever since.

From Salon

"Wow, I'm a little bit in shock. I mean I've always thought of myself as half Puerto Rican. I didn't think my family was originally from Spain and slaveholders."

From Salon