adj
Meaning 1
In the manner of a slave; abject.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
slavish
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈsleɪvɪʃ/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -eɪvɪʃ
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/ˈslɑːvɪʃ/
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CMU ARPABET: S L EY1 V IH0 SH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Utterly faithful; totally lacking originality, creativity, or reflection.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- a slavish reproduction
- slavish observation of rules
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Pertaining to Slavs or the Slavic languages; Slavic.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
Any of various Slavic languages, especially Old Church Slavonic.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
abjectly submissive; characteristic of a slave or servant- S.H.Adams
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- slavish devotion to her job ruled her life
- a slavish yes-man to the party bosses
- she has become submissive and subservient
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: subservient, submissive
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
blindly imitative
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a slavish copy of the original
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree substrateder.? Proto-Indo-European *ḱlewH-der.? Proto-Slavic *slov- Proto-Slavic *-ǫta Proto-Slavic *Slov-? Proto-Balto-Slavic *-ēnas Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Slavic *-inъ Proto-Slavic *-ěninъ Proto-Slavic *slověninъder. Ancient Greek Σκλαβηνός (Sklabēnós)der. Byzantine Greek Σκλᾰ́βος (Sklắbos)bor. Late Latin Sclavus Medieval Latin sclavusbor. Old French esclavebor. Middle English sclave English slave Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -ish English -ish English slavish From slave + -ish.
From Slav + -ish, probably after German slawisch.
Across languages
Translations
17 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: робски (robski) — in the manner of a slave
- Czech: otrocký — in the manner of a slave
- Dutch: slaafs — in the manner of a slave
- Esperanto: sklaveca — in the manner of a slave
- Finnish: orjamainen — in the manner of a slave
- Finnish: orjallinen — in the manner of a slave
- German: sklavisch — in the manner of a slave
- Ancient Greek: δούλιος (doúlios) — in the manner of a slave
- Irish: moghach — in the manner of a slave
- Latin: servīlis — in the manner of a slave
- Polish: niewolniczy — in the manner of a slave
- Portuguese: servil — in the manner of a slave
- Russian: ра́бский (rábskij) — in the manner of a slave
- Russian: поко́рный (pokórnyj) — in the manner of a slave
- Swedish: slavisk — in the manner of a slave
- Swedish: trälaktig — in the manner of a slave
- Ottoman Turkish: ذلیل (zelil) — in the manner of a slave