Nearby Words

servitude

[sur-vi-tood, -tyood] Example Sentences Origin

ser·vi·tude

[sur-vi-tood, -tyood]
noun
1.
slavery or bondage of any kind: political or intellectual servitude.
2.
compulsory service or labor as a punishment for criminals: penal servitude.
3.
Law. a right possessed by one person to use another's property.

Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English < Late Latin servitūdō, equivalent to servi-, combining form of servus slave + -tūdō, -tude


1. serfdom, thralldom. See slavery.


1. liberty.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Servitude is always a great word to know.
So is prosecute. Does it mean:
an agreement enforceable by law, originally applied to promises under seal; a bond containing a penalty, with a condition annexed for payment of money
to institute legal proceedings against a person; to seek to enforce or obtain by legal process; to conduct criminal proceedings in court against
Example Sentences
  • The girl's future is already predetermined: marriage and servitude.
  • Liberation from indentured servitude is an entirely worthy objective.
  • Indentured servitude developed as a way around this.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
servitude (ˈsɜːvɪˌtjuːd)
 
n
1.  the state or condition of a slave; bondage
2.  the state or condition of being subjected to or dominated by a person or thing: servitude to drink
3.  law See also easement a burden attaching to an estate for the benefit of an adjoining estate or of some definite person
4.  short for penal servitude
 
[C15: via Old French from Latin servitūdō, from servus a slave]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

servitude
1471, "condition of being enslaved," from M.Fr. servitude, from L.L. servitudo "slavery," from L. servus "a slave" (see serve).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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