slave-ship

A slave-ship sails across the Atlantic Ocean.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A vessel used for transporting enslaved people: A "slave-ship" is a large ship historically used to carry enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas as part of the transatlantic slave trade. These ships were notorious for their overcrowded and inhumane conditions.

Usage Examples

• (A ship used in the slave trade.)
• (Ships that transported enslaved people.)
• (A ship used for forced transportation of people.)

Advanced Usage

• "slave-ship rebellion": an uprising by enslaved people aboard a slave-ship.

  • The Amistad was a slave-ship that became famous for a rebellion led by the enslaved captives. (A revolt on a slave-transporting vessel.)

• "slave-ship economy": the economic system built around the operation of slave-ships.

  • Port cities like Liverpool and Bristol grew wealthy from the slave-ship economy of the 18th century. (The financial aspects of the slave trade.)

Variants and Related Words

• Slave (n): a person who is legally owned by another and forced to work without pay.

  • Millions of Africans were taken as slaves during the transatlantic slave trade. (An enslaved person.)

• Ship (n): a large seagoing vessel.

  • The ship set sail from Africa to the Americas. (A large boat for ocean travel.)

• Slave trade (n): the business of buying and selling enslaved people.

  • The slave trade was abolished in the 19th century. (The commerce in human beings.)

Synonyms

• Slaver: a ship used in the slave trade (archaic term).

  • The slaver carried its human cargo across the Atlantic. (A slave-ship.)

• Guineaman: a historical term for a ship involved in the slave trade from West Africa.

  • The Guineaman was loaded with captives from the Gold Coast. (A specific type of slave-ship.)

Related Idioms

• No direct idioms exist for "slave-ship", as it is a specific historical term. However, related phrases include:
  • "Middle Passage": the journey of slave-ships across the Atlantic from Africa to the Americas.

    • The Middle Passage was the most horrific part of the slave-ship voyage. (The ocean crossing of a slave-ship.)

Phrasal Verbs

• No phrasal verbs directly use "slave-ship", but the verb "to ship" can be used:
  • Ship off: to send someone or something away, often forcibly.

    • Enslaved people were shipped off to the colonies on slave-ships. (Sent away by ship.)