slaving

verbwork very hard

Synonyms for slaving

MOST RELEVANT

Antonyms for slaving

Word Origin & History

late 13c., "person who is the chattel or property of another," from Old French esclave (13c.), from Medieval Latin Sclavus "slave" (source also of Italian schiavo, French esclave, Spanish esclavo), originally "Slav" (see Slav); so used in this secondary sense because of the many Slavs sold into slavery by conquering peoples.

Meaning "one who has lost the power of resistance to some habit or vice" is from 1550s. Applied to devices from 1904, especially those which are controlled by others (cf. slave jib in sailing, similarly of locomotives, flash bulbs, amplifiers). Slave-driver is attested from 1807; extended sense of "cruel or exacting task-master" is by 1854. Slate state in U.S. history is from 1812. Slave-trade is attested from 1734.

Old English Wealh "Briton" also began to be used in the sense of "serf, slave" c.850; and Sanskrit dasa-, which can mean "slave," apparently is connected to dasyu- "pre-Aryan inhabitant of India." More common Old English words for slave were þeow (related to þeowian "to serve") and þræl (see thrall). The Slavic words for "slave" (Russian rab, Serbo-Croatian rob, Old Church Slavonic rabu) are from Old Slavic *orbu, from the PIE root *orbh- (also source of orphan), the ground sense of which seems to be "thing that changes allegiance" (in the case of the slave, from himself to his master). The Slavic word is also the source of robot.

Example Sentences forslaving

Look at Karl Osterman yonder, slaving away at that book of his!

I've been slaving and slaving for twenty years, and what have I got by it?

Is that why they're all over there, slaving away so feverishly?

But I could live on it, and in any case it was better than slaving at tutoring.

They are slaving at work, but making no progress toward relief.

You see when once fellows take to slaving they go from bad to worse.

Ursula and Gudrun were slaving in the bedrooms, candles were rushing about.

“I would not like to hear she was slaving herself at her age,” 287 he remarked, seriously.

Aboard the Royal James the men were slaving like ants, preparing for the battle.

You do not want to go on slaving in an office until you are old and ugly.

slaving

busiest

busy

slaving

More words related to slaving

busier

busiest

busy