slaver
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to let saliva run from the mouth; slobber; drool.
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to fawn.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
saliva coming from the mouth.
verb
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to dribble saliva
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(often foll by over)
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to fawn or drool (over someone)
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to show great desire (for); lust (after)
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noun
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saliva dribbling from the mouth
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informal drivel
noun
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an owner of or dealer in slaves
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another name for slave ship
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of slaver1
First recorded in 1815–25; slave + -er 1
Origin of slaver2
1275–1325; Middle English slaver (noun), slaveren (v.), probably < Scandinavian; compare Icelandic slafra to slobber
Explanation
Someone who brutally and cruelly forces people into servitude is a slaver. If you come across this word being used as a verb, it has an entirely different meaning (and pronunciation), to slobber or drool. You can use the historical word slaver to talk about the slave traders who captured and sold human beings into slavery, as well as the slave owners who forced enslaved people to work. It also describes the ships that transported enslaved Africans: "Many people died at sea on the slavers." When used as a verb, slaver is pronounced with a short a and it has a much gentler meaning. Your dog might start to slaver as you pour food into her dish.
Vocabulary lists containing slaver
The Tyrant's Tomb
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Tales from Earthsea
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The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Search for the Jefferson Davis: Trader, Slaver, Raider," released in March, tells the story of a merchant ship-turned-slaver-turned-privateer that was renamed after the president of the Confederacy.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 7, 2011
“Search for the Jefferson Davis: Trader, Slaver, Raider,” released in March, tells the story of a merchant ship-turned-slaver-turned-privateer that was renamed after the president of the Confederacy.
From Washington Post • Jul. 7, 2011
Elizabeth wisely liked her pirates, Slaver Hawkins and Explorer Drake, and profited by their booty.
From Time Magazine Archive
Slaver ran between his teeth as the hunger woke inside him.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Ghiscari hair was dense and wiry; it had long been the fashion for the men of the Slaver Cities to tease it into horns and spikes and wings.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
