schiavo
/ˈskja.vo/masculine
The Italian word for slave is schiavo.
The noun refers to a person owned by another. It can also be used idiomatically in the phrase come uno schiavo to describe someone working extremely hard or excessively.
Meaning: person owned by another (noun)
Which one should you use?
The form schiavo refers to a male subject, while schiava is used for a female subject.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun changes based on gender and number: schiavo is the masculine singular, schiava is the feminine singular, schiavi is the masculine plural and schiave is the feminine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable: /ˈskja.vo/.
Did you know?
- Because of its roots, the word schiavo is a distant relative of the common Italian greeting ciao.
- In historical Italian, the phrase schiavo was used as a highly formal and subservient way to say 'at your service' or 'your servant'.
- While schiavo refers to a person, Italian uses different terminology for 'slavery' as a system, such as schiavitù.
Examples in context
- Lui è uno schiavo.He's a slave.This sentence illustrates the use of the masculine singular form schiavo.Tatoeba #7844867 by Guybrush88, translation #7816288 by sharris123
- Tom è nato schiavo.Tom was born a slave.This sentence shows the masculine singular form schiavo used to describe someone's birth status.Tatoeba #9823617 by Nuel, translation #5754473 by CM
- Lavoro come uno schiavo!I work like a slave!This sentence demonstrates the idiomatic use of schiavo to describe working excessively hard.Tatoeba #1546065 by Guybrush88, translation #1546064 by ddnktr
- Sei il mio servo personale per oggi.You are my personal servant for today.
- La storia dell'umanità è segnata da molti casi di schiavitù.Human history is marked by many cases of slavery.
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A museum visit to an ancient Roman exhibit.
- MatteoGuarda quel disegno di uno schiavo.Look at that drawing of a slave.
- MartinaÈ un'immagine molto triste, Matteo.It is a very sad image, Matteo.
- MatteoSì, la sua vita era durissima.Yes, his life was very hard.
- MartinaPovero schiavo, non aveva alcuna libertà.Poor slave, he had no freedom.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “slave” translations and entries schiavo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries schiavo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
