The word “slave” is derived from the Old French word “esclave,” which itself comes from the Latin word “sclavus.” The term “sclavus” referred to a person who was captured and enslaved during the barbarian invasions of the Roman Empire in the 5th and 6th centuries. The term “sclavus” was originally used to describe the Slavic people, who were often captured and sold as slaves in the early Middle Ages. However, over time, the term came to be applied to anyone who was held in bondage or slavery, regardless of their ethnicity or origin. The modern English word “slave” ultimately derives from this Latin root.
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Origin of the word ‘slave’
American Buddhist Net 