slake
Americanverb (used with object)
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to allay (thirst, desire, wrath, etc.) by satisfying.
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to cool or refresh.
He slaked his lips with ice.
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to make less active, vigorous, intense, etc..
His calm manner slaked their enthusiasm.
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to cause disintegration of (lime) by treatment with water.
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to moisten; wet.
To thicken the sauce, add a tablespoon of cornstarch slaked with a little cold water.
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Obsolete. to make loose or less tense; slacken.
verb (used without object)
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(of lime) to become slaked.
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Archaic. to become less active, intense, vigorous, etc.; abate.
verb
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literary (tr) to satisfy (thirst, desire, etc)
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poetic (tr) to cool or refresh
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Also: slack. to undergo or cause to undergo the process in which lime reacts with water or moist air to produce calcium hydroxide
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archaic to make or become less active or intense
Other Word Forms
- slakable adjective
- slakeable adjective
- slakeless adjective
- slaker noun
- unslakable adjective
- unslakeable adjective
- unslaked adjective
Etymology
Origin of slake
First recorded before 1000; Middle English slaken, slakken, slake “to loosen, lessen, mitigate, allay, moderate,” Old English slacian, slæcian, sleacian “to slacken, lessen one's efforts,” equivalent to slæc “inactive, careless, languid” + -ian causative verb suffix; slack 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But betel chew—a mixture of areca nuts, betel leaves and slaked lime—is entirely different from datura.
Done with the workweek, they are eager to slake their thirst.
From Los Angeles Times
Paan, a betel nut leaf with slaked lime, rose petal jam and mouth fresheners like cardamom and cloves, has fascinated South Asians for centuries.
From BBC
Thousands of Tacomans, joined by rail fans from miles around, will slake their curiosity this weekend by exploring Sound Transit’s new Tacoma Link Hilltop Extension.
From Seattle Times
Krantz and his colleagues were keenly aware of the case of Owens Lake, about 300 miles to the north, whose tributaries had been diverted in 1913 to slake a thirsty and rapidly growing Los Angeles.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
