slag

¹

[slag]

noun

1. Also called cinder. the more or less completely fused and vitrified matter separated during the reduction of a metal from its ore.

2. the scoria from a volcano.

3. waste left over after the re-sorting of coal.

verb (used with object)

slagged, slagging 

1. to convert into slag.

2. Metallurgy.,  to remove slag from (a steel bath).

verb (used without object)

slagged, slagging 

1. to form slag; become a slaglike mass.

slag

²

[slag]

noun

1. British Slang.,  an abusive woman.

slag

/ slæɡ /

noun

1. Also called: cinder. the fused material formed during the smelting or refining of metals by combining the flux with gangue, impurities in the metal, etc. It usually consists of a mixture of silicates with calcium, phosphorus, sulphur, etc See also basic slag

2. a mass of rough fragments of pyroclastic rock and cinders derived from a volcanic eruption; scoria

3. a mixture of shale, clay, coal dust, and other mineral waste produced during coal mining

4. slang,  a coarse or dissipated girl or woman

verb

1. slang,  (tr) (usually foll by off) to abuse (someone) verbally

2. slang,  (intr) to spit

slag

1. The vitreous mass left as a residue by the smelting of metallic ore. It consists mostly of the siliceous and aluminous impurities from the iron ore.

Other Word Forms

• slagable adjective
• slagability noun
• slagless adjective
• slaglessness noun
• unslagged adjective
• slaggy adjective
• slagging noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of slag¹

1545–55; < Middle Low German slagge; cognate with German Schlacke dross, slag; slack ²

Origin of slag²

First recorded in 1780–90; originally an argot word for a worthless person or a thug; perhaps identical with slag ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of slag¹

C16: from Middle Low German slagge, perhaps from slagen to _slay

Example Sentences

It is a quiet town surrounded by World War One memorials and by the tall coal slag heaps that litter this stretch of northern France.

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Robinson was contacted by a female BBC reporter for comment after the incident, but Robinson responded with a message that said "slag".

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Robinson, 42, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was contacted by a female BBC reporter for comment after the incident, but Robinson responded with a message that said "slag".

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The suspensions were instead for people "constantly going on the airwaves, slagging off your own government," she said.

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Nearby, excavators found iron slag - some of it fused to the furnace wall - hinting at advanced metalworking techniques.

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Related Words

• lava 

When To Use

What else does slag mean?

Content warning: the following content includes references to strong and sexist language.In slang, slag is an insulting British English term for a contemptible person. When used of women, it can be equivalent to slut.As a verb, to slag (off somebody) is "to attack (them) verbally," i.e., to talk smack about them.