noun
thrall
thrawl
noun
1
A person held as a slave or in servitude, under the total control of another.
"In the old sagas, captured warriors were often made thralls."
2
The state of being completely controlled or dominated by something.
"The nation remained in thrall to the powerful trading company for decades."
"She was in thrall to his every word."
How to Use Thrall
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone enslaved, or the state of being completely under someone else's power or spell.
Common mistake
Modern use is almost always figurative, as in "in thrall to" — meaning captivated or dominated by something, not literally enslaved.
Common pairings
in thrall to
hold someone in thrall
Word Forms
more thrall comparative, thralled past tense, thralls plural, Thralls plural, thralls singular, most thrall superlative
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Etymology
From Old Norse þræll ("slave"), borrowed into Old English as þrǣl.