BONDSLAVE (female) — the strongest word for a slave, not merely a servant. Mary answers Gabriel, 'Behold, the DOULE of the Lord' (1:38), and sings that God looked on 'the low estate of his DOULE' (1:48). It is a word of total belonging, and she chooses it for herself: her assent, 'may it happen to me according to your word,' is a slave's yes to a master — and the pivot of the chapter, set against the priest Zechariah who could only be struck dumb. → first discussed at Luke 1:38