David Zapatka
Reader and pickleball player Cindy Schwarzkopf wrote, “I am with SunBird Hikers, and we went to the Copper Mine tour at Bisbee. Very, very interesting story. It was incredible! I was reminded of the word ‘slavering’ from reading Wuthering Heights, which was written in the mid-1800s and is probably now an archived word. And no longer used today?”
“Slaver” has two completely different meanings depending on whether it refers to the act of drooling or historical human trafficking.
Slaver sla·ver 1. intransitive verb—drool, slobber. transitive verb—to smear with or as if with saliva 2. noun—a person who traffics or holds enslaved people; a ship used to traffic enslaved people
Etymology—Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse slafra to slaver; akin to Middle Dutch slabben to slaver
First Known Use—14th century, in the meaning defined in the intransitive sense
Is modern-day human trafficking the same as slaving? Yes, in general, conversational and journalistic contexts, human trafficking is widely recognized and described as a form of modern-day slavery. How you use the term depends entirely on the context. Legally, sociologically, and historically, there are distinct nuances between a trafficker and a traditional slaver. At its core, human trafficking involves using force, fraud or coercion to exploit an individual for commercial sex or forced labor. This aligns directly with the fundamental definition of slavery: taking away a person’s freedom and controlling them for personal or commercial gain. While historic slavers relied on legal title deeds and physical chains, modern traffickers use invisible chains like debt bondage, psychological abuse, withholding passport documents and threats of violence to achieve the same level of ownership and control over another human being.
Slaver used in a sentence:
The dog is slavering over a bone.
Then mix in a jaw-dropping performance by the film’s controversial director as a degenerate white slaver.
The ship, however, proved to be a French slaver who had hoisted the Union Jack, fearing to find the British in possession.
Slaver used on the web:
“Your family gatherings remind me of a pack of slavering wolves surrounding their potential prey.—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 12 Dec. 2025
The welcome wagon on their second night as pioneers was a slavering mob.—Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Sue has no discernible personality or thoughts, but the TV network—led by a slavering man named Harvey (Dennis Quaid)—has hired her for this hosting gig, the moment that will solidify her stardom.—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025
The sea was green and the sky was grey the morning Grief and Warrior Wench and Victarion’s own Iron Victory captured the slaver galley from Yunkai in the waters due north of the Yellow City.–A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
Have you enjoyed a delicious word in a book you’ve read? Please submit your experiences or any word you may like to share along with your insights and comments to dzapatka@wbhsi.net.