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thrall

(thrôl)

1. The state of being in the power of another person or under the sway of an influence: "a people in thrall to the miracles of commerce" (Lewis H. Lapham).

a. One, such as a slave or serf, who is held in bondage.

b. One who is in the power of another or under the sway of an influence.

tr.v. thralled, thrall·ing, thralls
Archaic

To enslave.

[Middle English, slave, slavery, from Old English thrǣl, slave, bondman, from Old Norse thrǣll.]

thralldom, thraldom n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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