thrall

WOTD – 17 June 2008    

English

Etymology

Old English þrǣl, from Old Norse þræll (“slave”) whence the Icelandic þræll (“slave”); according to ODS probably akin to Old High German drigil, servant, to the Gothic 𐌸𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (þragjan) and to the Old English þrægan, to run

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /θrɔːl/, X-SAMPA: /TrO:l/
• (US) IPA: /θrɔl/, /θrɑl/, X-SAMPA: /TrOl/, /TrAl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːl

Noun

thrall (plural thralls)

1. One who is enslaved or under mind control.
   • 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, The Physician's Tale,

     My servant, which that is my thrall by right

   • 1915, Jack London, The Star Rover,

     And there were household slaves in golden collars that burned of a plenty there with her, and nine female thralls, and eight male slaves of the Angles that were of gentle birth and battle-captured.

2. (uncountable) The state of being under the control of another person.
   • 1864, Herman Melville, Mardi,

     Go: release him from the thrall of Hautia.

   • 1889, Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat,

     [Y]our friend, John Edward, is at the other end of the room with his whole soul held in thrall by photographs of other people's relatives.

   • 1911, Saki, The Easter Egg,

     In her brain she was dimly conscious of balancing, or striving to balance, the abject shame which had him now in thrall against the one compelling act of courage which had flung him grandly and madly on to the point of danger.

3. A shelf; a stand for barrels, etc.

Related terms

• enthrall
• thralldom

Translations

one who is enslaved

• Catalan: esclau (ca) m
• Dutch: tot slaaf gemaakt (nl), onderworpen (nl)
• French: esclave (fr), servant (fr)
• Italian: essere schiavo (it)
• Macedonian: пленик (mk) (plénik) m, роб (mk) (rob) m

• Manx: sleab (gv) m
• Portuguese: servo (pt), escravo (pt)
• Russian: невольник (ru) (nevolʹnik) m, раб (ru) (rab) m
• Swedish: träl (sv) c

the state of being under the control of another person

• Macedonian: пленство (mk) (plénstvo) n, ропство (mk) (rópstvo) n, подјарменост (mk) (podjármenost) f

• Portuguese: jugo (pt)
• Russian: плен (ru) (plen) m, рабство (ru) (rabstvo) n
• Swedish: träldom (sv) c

Verb

thrall (third-person singular simple present thralls, present participle thralling, simple past and past participle thralled)

1. To make a thrall.