escravidão
/is.kɾa.viˈdɐ̃w̃/feminine
Slavery in Portuguese is escravidão. Wiktionary also lists escravatura.
Meaning: institution or practice of owning human beings (noun)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| escravidão | /is.kɾa.viˈdɐ̃w̃/ (Brazil) /es.kɾa.viˈdɐ̃w̃/ (Brazil) |
feminine |
| escravatura | /is.kɾa.vaˈtu.ɾɐ/ (Brazil) /es.kɾa.vaˈtu.ɾɐ/ (Brazil) |
feminine |
The term refers to the institution or practice of owning human beings.
Which one should you use?
escravidão is the most common and standard term for the institution of slavery, while escravatura is a more formal or technical term often used in historical or academic contexts to describe the system of slavery.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mozambique, both escravidão and escravatura can be used to express "slavery".
How does it change in a sentence?
escravidão is a feminine noun and requires feminine articles and adjectives. For related words, the verb meaning to enslave is escravizar and the noun for a person who is a slave is escravo (masculine) or escrava (feminine).
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /is.kɾa.viˈdɐ̃w̃/. It has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 4th syllable.
Did you know?
- In historical texts, you may find the term escravos de ganho, referring to enslaved people who worked independently and paid a portion of their earnings to their owners.
- Brazil was the last country in the Americas to abolish escravidão, doing so only in 1888.
- The word escravo shares an unexpected root with the word 'Slav', tracing back to a time when the term was used to describe people from Central and Eastern Europe.
Examples in context
- Lincoln era contra a escravidão.Lincoln was opposed to slavery.This sentence is useful for expressing opposition to escravidão.Tatoeba #5473057 by ToinhoAlam, translation #29642 by CK
- O presidente aboliu a escravidão.The president has abolished slavery.This sentence is useful for describing the abolition of escravidão.Tatoeba #2824241 by Sitko, translation #525314 by Dejo
- A escravidão era um negócio lucrativo.Slavery was a lucrative business.This sentence is useful for describing escravidão as a lucrative business.Tatoeba #11321999 by Clepsydris, translation #2427787 by arnxy20
- A escravidão foi uma prática cruel e desumana que marcou a história do Brasil.Slavery was a cruel and inhumane practice that left its mark on Brazil's history.
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Mariana are discussing a history documentary.
- GabrielVocê viu o documentário sobre a escravidão?Did you see the documentary about slavery?
- MarianaSim, eu vi ontem à noite.Yes, I saw it last night.
- GabrielFoi muito impactante para mim.It was very impactful for me.
- MarianaEu concordo, Gabriel. Foi terrível.I agree, Gabriel. It was terrible.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “slavery” translations and entries escravidão, escravatura, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries escravatura, escravidão, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
