Dictionary

slavish en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈsleɪvɪʃ/

Etymology

Etymology tree substrateder.? Proto-Indo-European *ḱlewH-der.? Proto-Slavic *slov- Proto-Slavic *-ǫta Proto-Slavic *Slov-? Proto-Balto-Slavic *-ēnas Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Slavic *-inъ Proto-Slavic *-ěninъ Proto-Slavic *slověninъder. Ancient Greek Σκλαβηνός (Sklabēnós)der. Byzantine Greek Σκλᾰ́βος (Sklắbos)bor. Late Latin Sclavus Medieval Latin sclavusbor. Old French esclavebor. Middle English sclave English slave Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -isch English -ish English slavish From slave + -ish.

Meanings

1. In the manner of a slave; abject.
   • “You have freed them from higher restraint, Halbert,” answered the Abbot, “and therein taught them to rebel against your own.” / “Fear not that, Edward,” exclaimed Halbert, who never gave his brother his monastic name of Ambrosius; “none obey the command of real duty so well as those who are free from the observance of slavish bondage.” 1820, [Walter Scott], chapter XV, in The Abbot. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne & Co.] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and John Ballantyne, […], →OCLC, page 344:
   • It is characterized by slavish submission to authority, together with a belief that in that submission the values of scientific thought can be preserved. 1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume II: The Golden Age, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: rozwój (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 93:
2. Utterly faithful; totally lacking originality, creativity, or reflection.
   • slavish observation of rules
   • a slavish reproduction

Forms

Deriveds

unslavish · slavishly · overslavish · slavishness

Translations (17)

pt servil (in the manner of a slave) · sv trälaktig (in the manner of a slave) · fi orjamainen (in the manner of a slave) · cs otrocký (in the manner of a slave) · grc δούλιος (in the manner of a slave) · la servīlis (in the manner of a slave) · eo sklaveca (in the manner of a slave) · pl niewolniczy (in the manner of a slave) · ota ذلیل (in the manner of a slave) · ga moghach (in the manner of a slave) · ru поко́рный (in the manner of a slave) · bg робски (in the manner of a slave) · sv slavisk (in the manner of a slave) · ru ра́бский (in the manner of a slave) · nl slaafs (in the manner of a slave) · de sklavisch (in the manner of a slave) · fi orjallinen (in the manner of a slave)