chattel slavery

noun

: slavery in which a person is owned as a chattel (see chattel sense 2)
chattel slave noun
plural chattel slaves

Examples of chattel slavery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
More to Explore Decades before eugenics peaked around the turn of the twentieth century, eugenic thinking lay at the foundation of chattel slavery. — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 6 Apr. 2026 The 1926 Convention focused on chattel slavery, which is the legal ownership of one person by another. — Nicole F. Roberts, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026 For Jewish communities, the Exodus represents liberation from chattel slavery and the birth of a nation grounded in faith and freedom. — Jesse Jackson Jr, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026 The abolition of chattel slavery involved enormous societal upheaval, and eliminating cruelty to animals will require rebuilding our entire food industry. — Ted Chiang, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for chattel slavery

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chattel slavery was in 1837

Rhymes for chattel slavery

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Browse Nearby Words

chattelize
chattel slavery
chatter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chattel slavery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chattel%20slavery. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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