escravo
1. A person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them
Millions of slaves were brought to the Americas during the colonial period.
Milhões de escravos foram trazidos às Américas durante o período colonial.
2. A person who is excessively dependent on or controlled by something
She felt like a slave to her job, working overtime every week.
Ela se sentia uma escrava do seu trabalho, trabalhando horas extras todas as semanas.
3. A device that is controlled by another device
In this network setup, the secondary computer acts as a slave to the primary server.
Nesta configuração de rede, o computador secundário atua como escravo do servidor principal.
4. (verb) To work excessively hard; to toil
He slaved away in the kitchen all day preparing the feast.
Ele trabalhou muito na cozinha o dia todo preparando o banquete.
In both Brazil and the USA, 'slave' carries significant historical weight due to the transatlantic slave trade and slavery's role in both nations' histories. Brazil imported approximately 4.9 million enslaved Africans—more than any other country in the Americas. The word is used sensitively in contemporary contexts and is essential to discussions of historical injustice and reparations. In modern usage, the metaphorical sense (being a 'slave to something') is common in informal speech, though some prefer alternative phrasing to avoid trivializing actual enslavement.
Related Idioms & Phrases
slave to fashion - excessively devoted to following fashion trends
work like a slave - to work very hard
slave driver - a harsh taskmaster or demanding boss
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