Link Centre Dictionary

slough

UK/slaʊ/ US/slaʊ/ rare slang us
noun (4) verb (1)

noun

1.
2.

a hollow filled with mud

3.
4.

any outer covering that can be shed or cast off (such as the cast-off skin of a snake)

verb

1.

cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers

  • “out dog sheds every Spring”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English slogh, slugh, slouh, from Proto-Germanic *sluk-, perhaps related to *sleupaną (“to slip, sneak”) (compare Gothic 𐍃𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍀𐌰𐌽 (sliupan)). Akin to Middle Low German slô (“sheath, skin on a hoof”). Perhaps also related with Old Saxon slūk (“snakeskin”), Middle High German slūch, whence German Schlauch (“waterskin, hose”).

Phrases

  • slough hay
  • slough of despond
  • slough off
  • slough shark
  • slough thistle

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.