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• slavey
  slavey

  noun

  a female servant, especially a maid of all work in a boardinghouse.
• Slavey
  Slavey

  noun

  a member of a group of Athabascan-speaking First Nations living in the upper Mackenzie River valley region of the Northwest Territories and in parts of British Columbia, Alberta, and the Yukon Territory.

slavey

¹ American  

[sley-vee] / ˈsleɪ vi /

noun

British Informal: Older Use.

slaveys plural

1. a female servant, especially a maid of all work in a boardinghouse.

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Slavey ² American  

[sley-vee] / ˈsleɪ vi /

noun

Slaveys, plural Slavey plural

1. a member of a group of Athabascan-speaking First Nations living in the upper Mackenzie River valley region of the Northwest Territories and in parts of British Columbia, Alberta, and the Yukon Territory.

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Slavey ¹ British  

/ ˈsleɪvɪ /

noun

1. a member of a Dene Native Canadian people of northern Canada

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slavey ² British  

/ ˈsleɪvɪ /

noun

1. informal a female general servant

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Slavey
  plural
• Slaveys
  plural
• slaveys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of slavey¹

First recorded in 1800–10; slave + -y ²

Origin of Slavey²

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

Example Sentences

“It’s nice to come out here and do some good stuff, instead of staying at home watching sports,” said volunteer Robert Slavey.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2019

Heather Slavey squinted as she stared into the badlands.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2017

Slavey, who does marketing for a law firm, and her husband, Robert, left their home in San Diego early Saturday morning, and drove toward Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2017

In the field off Henderson Canyon Road that Slavey had explored with her husband, state park Ranger Steve Bier led a wildlife tour Saturday morning.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2017

During the Spring of 1900 Miss Lessing also appeared in the title r�le of "The Lady Slavey" when that musical farce was revived in Boston.

From Famous Prima Donnas by Strang, Lewis Clinton