ex-slave
UK[ˌeksˈsleɪv]US[ˌeksˈsleɪv]
n
A person who was formerly a slave and has been freed or emancipated.
Morpheme Breakdown
ex
slave
ex
former
slave
enslaved person
Etymology
The word is a modern English compound formed by directly attaching the Latin prefix 'ex-' to the noun 'slave'. The prefix 'ex-', deriving from the Latin preposition/ex meaning "out of, from," is commonly used in English to denote a former status, as in 'ex-president' or 'ex-wife'. The noun 'slave' entered English around the 13th century from Old French 'esclave', which itself came from Medieval Latin 'sclavus', originally referring to Slavic peoples who were often enslaved in the medieval period. Thus, 'ex-slave' literally and logically means "a person who is out of or from the condition of being a slave," directly indicating a history of enslavement followed by emancipation or freedom.
Analysis
Structure: ex (former) + slave (enslaved person)
- ex: A prefix of Latin origin, meaning "out of, from, former, or without." In this word, it functions as a derivational prefix indicating a former state.
- slave: A noun of Latin origin (via Medieval Latin sclavus), referring to a person who is the legal property of another and forced to obey them. It functions as the base word.
Examples
After the Civil War, many ex-slaves sought to reunite with family members from whom they had been separated.
The narrative of Frederick Douglass, a famous ex-slave, became a powerful tool for the abolitionist movement.
The government's promise of "forty acres and a mule" to ex-slaves was largely unfulfilled.