escravo
/isˈkɾa.vu/masculine
The English word 'slave' is escravo in Portuguese. Wiktionary also lists escrava.
Meaning: person owned by another (noun)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| escravo | /isˈkɾa.vu/ (Brazil) /esˈkɾa.vu/ (Brazil) |
masculine |
| escrava | /isˈkɾa.vɐ/ (Brazil) /esˈkɾa.vɐ/ (Brazil) |
feminine |
escravo refers to a person owned by another. In Portuguese, this term can be used as both a noun and an adjective. You can also use the phrase escravo de metaphorically to describe being a slave to a specific habit, emotion or person, such as being a escravo do trabalho (slave to work). The noun for the state of being a slave is escravidão. Additionally, the related verb mourejar or the form escravo can be used to mean working hard.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of the noun is escrava.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the second syllable. The IPA is /isˈkɾa.vu/.
Did you know?
- The common Portuguese farewell tchau is actually a linguistic descendant of the same root that produced the word escravo.
- In Portuguese, the verb mourejar is used to describe working extremely hard, much like a slave would, but it originates from the word for 'Moor'.
Examples in context
- Não sou seu escravo!I'm not your slave.This sentence is useful for expressing that you are not someone's slave using escravo.Tatoeba #1201693 by alexmarcelo, translation #1935175 by Spamster
- O homem é um escravo.The man is a slave.This sentence describes a man as a slave using escravo.Tatoeba #11816586 by ajdavidl, translation #11816348 by ddnktr
- Eu não sou seu escravo.I am not your slave.This sentence is another way to say you are not someone's slave using escravo.Tatoeba #5991995 by bill, translation #5991384 by mailohilohi
- Uma escrava trabalhava na plantação.A female slave worked on the plantation.
- O dono possuía muitos escravos.The owner had many slaves.
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Beatriz and Rodrigo are discussing a history book.
- BeatrizQuem era esse homem no livro?Who was this man in the book?
- RodrigoEle era um escravo no século XVIII.He was a slave in the 18th century.
- BeatrizA vida dele deve ter sido difícil.His life must have been difficult.
- RodrigoSim, a vida de um escravo era cruel.Yes, the life of a slave was cruel.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “slave” translations and entries escravo, escrava, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries escravo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
