First recorded in 1800–10; slave + -y 2
First recorded in 1785–80; from French esclave, literally, “slave,” a loan translation of Cree awahkān “captive, slave” (the Cree would make raids on and enslave this Athabascan people); the two-syllable pronunciation is a local variant derived from a spelling with the French suffix -ais
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sinatra, playing a character named Frank Sinatra, is simply a shy young fellow next door who has struck up a songful flirtation with the slavey.
From Time Magazine Archive
To each other, the young man and the slavey become as beautiful as makeup artists can manage.
From Time Magazine Archive
Actress Julie Haydon plays radiantly as the simple-hearted slavey, makes the Canon's conversion entirely credible.
From Time Magazine Archive
Wanda Hendrix stands out sharply as a downtrodden little London slavey.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Please, sir, there's a lady here," said the little slavey.
From A Crooked Path A Novel by Alexander, Mrs.
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.
