slaver

¹ American  

[sley-ver] / ˈsleɪ vər /

noun

1. a person who buys, sells, or owns human beings; an enslaver.

2. slave ship.

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slaver ² American  

[slav-er, sley-ver, slah-] / ˈslæv ər, ˈsleɪ vər, ˈslɑ- /

verb (used without object)

1. to let saliva run from the mouth; slobber; drool.

2. to fawn.

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verb (used with object)

1. Archaic. to smear with saliva.

noun

1. saliva coming from the mouth.

2. drivel.

slaver ¹ British  

/ ˈslævə /

verb

1. to dribble saliva

2. (often foll by over)

   1. to fawn or drool (over someone)

   2. to show great desire (for); lust (after)

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noun

1. saliva dribbling from the mouth

2. informal drivel

slaver ² British  

/ ˈsleɪvə /

noun

1. an owner of or dealer in slaves

2. another name for slave ship

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Other Word Forms

• slaverer noun

Etymology

Origin of slaver¹

First recorded in 1815–25; slave + -er ¹

Origin of slaver²

1275–1325; Middle English slaver (noun), slaveren (v.), probably < Scandinavian; compare Icelandic slafra to slobber

Example Sentences

A memorial to an 18th Century slaver has been removed from a church.

From BBC • May 19, 2023

Ellen, whose father was a slaver, was white enough to pass, but as a woman she could not easily travel unaccompanied in 1848.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2023

The Portuguese monarchy also hired explorers such as Alvise Cadamosto, a Venetian slaver sent to scout the region of Senegambia.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

“Is he looking for the whole truth here? The fact that he was a slaver and ran slaves up to the colonies? That’s what the historical documents say,” Hunt said.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 7, 2022

A visceral urge to flee sweeps through me, so powerful that I slow, stop, pull away from the slaver.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir