schiavitù

slavery

noun skyah-vee-TOO Rare

Usage Note

Schiavitù ends in an accented -tù, making it invariable in the plural: la schiavitù / le schiavitù share the same form. The word derives from schiavo (slave), which has Byzantine-Greek roots relating to Slavic captives. It is used both historically and figuratively: la schiavitù del lavoro (enslavement to work).

Examples

"La schiavitù fu abolita nel diciannovesimo secolo."

Natural Translation

Slavery was abolished in the nineteenth century.

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