slaveowner

S1L1A1V4E1O1W4N1E1R1

noun

Someone who has control or ownership over another human being; the owner of a slave.

“Near-synonyms: slaver, slavedriver”

Scrabble 16

Meanings

nounslaveowner (plural slaveowners)

plural slaveowners · alternative slave owner · alternative slave-owner

  1. Someone who has control or ownership over another human being; the owner of a slave.

    Near-synonyms: slaver, slavedriver

    4 more examples

    It was natural for the Roman slaveowners to employ these captives in activities that would benefit from their knowledge and skills. These activities were harder to monitor than simple physical labor, and carrots worked better than sticks.

    2017 September 5, Peter Temin, The Roman Market Economy, Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 131

    From the frequency with which slaveowners and enslaved Africans mention and discuss sickness, injury and disease, we know that concern for medical conditions was a signal feature of the slaveocracy. Slaveowners worried about the expense[…]

    2019 July 30, Katherine Bankole, Slavery and Medicine: Enslavement and Medical Practices in Antebellum Louisiana, Routledge, →ISBN

    Across the street from the church, which is lovingly known as Mother Emanuel, is Marion Park. Until recently, this where a statue of Vice President John C. Calhoun, a slaveowner and staunch supporter of antebellum plantation slavery, stood.

    2020 August 31, Dartinia Hull, “‘Not everything is pretty here’: Charleston tourism reckons with slavery and racism”, in CNN, archived from the original on 25 May 2022

    A modern glass edifice nearby houses the headquarters of the illustrious Rothschild banking family. It was the Rothschilds who in the 1830s arranged that recently paid-off £20 million loan to the British government to reimburse slaveowners after the trade ended – said to be equivalent to some £300 billion in today’s money.

    2020 October 2, Maureen O'Hare, “‘Price of blood’: Financial London’s grim history revealed in new tour”, in CNN, archived from the original on 17 Aug 2022

    Synonyms: slaveholder, slaver, slavedriver · Antonyms: nonslaveholder, abolitionist

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSomeone who has control or ownership over another human being; the owner of a slave.

Also see

Origin

Translations

Ancient Greek δεσπότης
  • δεσπότης (despótēs)anyone that has control over another human being
Bulgarian робовладелец
  • робовладелец (robovladelec)anyone that has control over another human being
Chinese Mandarin 奴隸主 /奴隶主
  • 奴隸主 /奴隶主 (núlìzhǔ)anyone that has control over another human being
Dutch slaveneigenaar
  • slaveneigenaaranyone that has control over another human being
Finnish orjanomistaja
  • orjanomistajaanyone that has control over another human being
French esclavagiste
  • esclavagisteanyone that has control over another human being
German Sklavenbesitzer, Sklavenbesitzerin
  • Sklavenbesitzeranyone that has control over another human being
  • Sklavenbesitzerinanyone that has control over another human being
  • Sklavenhalteranyone that has control over another human being
  • Sklavenhalterinanyone that has control over another human being
Icelandic þrælahaldari
  • þrælahaldarianyone that has control over another human being
Japanese 奴隷所有者
  • 奴隷所有者 (dorei shoyūsha)anyone that has control over another human being
Latvian vergturis
  • vergturisanyone that has control over another human being
Polish właściciel niewolników, właścicielka niewolników
  • właściciel niewolnikówanyone that has control over another human being
  • właścicielka niewolnikówanyone that has control over another human being
Russian рабовладе́лец
  • рабовладе́лец (rabovladélec)anyone that has control over another human being
Swedish slavägare
  • slavägareanyone that has control over another human being
Ukrainian рабовла́сник, рабовла́сниця
  • рабовла́сник (rabovlásnyk)anyone that has control over another human being
  • рабовла́сниця (rabovlásnycja)anyone that has control over another human being
Cite this entry
APA

slaveowner. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slaveowner

MLA

“slaveowner.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slaveowner. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “slaveowner,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/slaveowner.

Source: slaveowner on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.