slaver

1 of 3

verb

slavered; slavering ˈsla-v(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce slaver (audio)
ˈslā-,
ˈslä-

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 How to pronounce slaver (audio)
1
a
: a ship used in the slave trade
b
: a person engaged in the slave trade
2

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
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.
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
The independent duchies of sixteenth-century Italy established free ports, which allowed slavers safe passage and relieved import duties for transiting merchants in need of temporary storage for perishable goods like grain. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024 Over a quarter century later, Garza has compiled an online database with 1.1 million names from northeastern Mexico and Texas, and feels no need to distance himself from forebears who were conquistadors or slavers. Edward Rueda, NBC News, 29 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for slaver 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of slaver was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near slaver

Cite this Entry

“Slaver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slaver. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

slaver

1 of 2 verb
sla·​ver ˈslav-ər How to pronounce slaver (audio)
ˈslāv-
slavered; slavering -(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce slaver (audio)

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
slavered; slavering -(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce slaver (audio)
: drool

slaver

2 of 2 noun
: saliva dribbling from the mouth

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