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Servitude is the condition of not being free: you have to work for someone, or obey them, and you cannot simply walk away. It covers slavery, and also close cousins of it — servitude, where a person signed away years of labour to pay a debt, and penal servitude, an old British punishment of years of hard labour. Law and history books still use those phrases.
Servitude奴役 is the condition of not being free是指不自由的狀態: you have to work for someone你得替別人工作, or obey them或聽命於人, and you cannot simply walk away而且不能說走就走. It covers slavery它涵蓋了奴隸制度, and also close cousins of it也包括跟它很像的近親 — indentured servitude像是契約勞役, where a person signed away years of labour to pay a debt也就是簽約用好幾年的勞力來還債, and penal servitude以及penal servitude(苦役), an old British punishment of years of hard labour一種舊時英國判處多年苦工的刑罰. Law and history books still use those phrases法律和歷史書裡現在還會用到這些說法.
People also stretch it in ordinary talk ('in servitude to his phone') to mean a life run by something else, though that is a bit theatrical.
People also stretch it in ordinary talk大家在日常說話裡也會把這個詞用得比較寬鬆 ('in servitude to his phone'像是「臣服於手機的奴役」) to mean a life run by something else意思是生活被某樣東西控制著, though that is a bit theatrical雖然講法有點誇張.
It is a formal, heavy word, never a compliment, and it is not the same as service, which can be useful or kind.
It is a formal, heavy word這是個正式而沉重的詞, never a compliment從來不是稱讚, and it is not the same as service而且跟service(服務)不一樣, which can be useful or kind service可以是有用的、善意的.
組成From Middle French servitude, from Latin servitūdō, from servus ('slave'). In English it is serve + -itude, an ending for a state or condition.
原始詞典資料5 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
servitudenoun/ˈsɜːvɪtʃuːd/
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The state of being a slave; slavery; being forced to work for others or do their bidding without one's consent or against one's will, either in perpetuity or for a period of time over which one has little or no control.
- In spite of the importance of this route it remained until a few years ago very insecure. Overhung almost its entire length by the inaccessible fastnesses of Lololand, the passing caravans dared journey only with convoy, and even then were frequently overwhelmed by raiders from the hills, who carried off both trader and goods into the mountains, the former to lifelong servitude.
- Balfour, who had sought refuge in Argentina, was extradited, and sentenced to a long term of penal servitude at Parkhurst Prison in the Isle of Wight.
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lawA qualified beneficial interest severed or fragmented from the ownership of an inferior property and attached to a superior property or to some person other than the owner; the most common form is an easement.
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datedService rendered in the army or navy.
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obsoleteServants collectively.
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archaicThe act of serving (food or drink, etc.); service.
- The usual routine of confections and pastry follows, after which a galore of fruits of all kinds, with a chassè of excellent Mocha, the immediate servitude of which, after good dining, is, I think, universally acknowledged to be a great exhiliration^([sic]).
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。