slaver

1 of 3

verb

sla·​ver ˈsla-vər  ˈslā-  ˈslä- 

slavered; slavering ˈsla-v(ə-)riŋ 

ˈslā-,

ˈslä-

intransitive verb

: drool, slobber

transitive verb

archaic : to smear with or as if with saliva

slaver

2 of 3

noun (1)

: saliva dribbling from the mouth

slaver

3 of 3

noun (2)

slav·​er ˈslā-vər 

1

a

: a ship used in the slave trade

b

: a person engaged in the slave trade

2

: white slaver

Synonyms

Verb

• dribble
• drivel
• drool
• salivate
• slobber

Noun (1)

• drool
• saliva
• slobber
• spit
• spittle

Examples of slaver in a Sentence

Verb

a dog slavering over a bone

Noun (1)

slaver dripped from the snarling dog's jaws

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

One decorous young professional after another is attacked and transformed into a slavering monster, until at last all the residents converge in the heated pool. —Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2024

Just don’t become a streak-Gollum like me, slavering miserably and alone over your treasure in a dank mental cave. —John Hodgman, New York Times, 27 July 2023

Noun

At times, slavers bypassed tricks altogether, arriving under the cover of night to ambush a village and kidnap its inhabitants. —Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Dec. 2024

As our protagonist makes his flight from bondage along the Mississippi River, dodging slavers, sailing alongside an unrecognizable Huck, indignities continue to accumulate, hardening James, until violent delights culminate in delightfully violent ends. —The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse slafra to slaver; akin to Middle Dutch slabben to slaver

Noun (2)

slave entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1827, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing slaver

• white slaver

Kids Definition

slaver

1 of 2 verb

sla·​ver ˈslav-ər 

ˈslāv-

slavered; slavering -(ə-)riŋ 

: drool sense 2, slobber

slaver

2 of 2 noun

slav·​er

ˈslā-vər

1

: a person who traffics or holds enslaved people

2

a ship used to traffic enslaved people

Medical Definition

slaver

1 of 2 intransitive verb

sla·​ver ˈslav-ər  ˈslāv-  ˈsläv- 

slavered; slavering -(ə-)riŋ 

: drool

slaver

2 of 2 noun

: saliva dribbling from the mouth