slag

[slag]

noun

Also called cinder. the more or less completely fused and vitrified matter separated during the reduction of a metal from its ore.
the scoria from a volcano.
waste left over after the re-sorting of coal.

verb (used with object), slagged, slag·ging.

to convert into slag.
Metallurgy. to remove slag from (a steel bath).

verb (used without object), slagged, slag·ging.

to form slag; become a slaglike mass.

Origin of slag

1545–55; < Middle Low German slagge; cognate with German Schlacke dross, slag; see slack²

Related formsslag·a·ble, adjectiveslag·a·bil·i·ty, nounslag·less, adjectiveslag·less·ness, nounun·slagged, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for slagging

slag

noun

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, etcSee also basic slag
a mass of rough fragments of pyroclastic rock and cinders derived from a volcanic eruption; scoria
a mixture of shale, clay, coal dust, and other mineral waste produced during coal mining
British slang a coarse or dissipated girl or woman

verb slags, slagging or slagged

(tr) British slang (usually foll by off) to abuse (someone) verbally
(intr) Australian slang to spit

Derived Formsslagging, nounslaggy, adjective

Word Origin for slag

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for slagging

slag

"refuse from smelting," 1550s, from Middle Low German slagge (German Schlacke) "splinter flying off when metal is struck," related to Old High German slahan "to strike, slay" (see slay (v.)).