QUIZZES

FOR POSTERITY’S SAKE, TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Are words your bailiwick? Take the latest quiz on the words from July 6 to July 12 to find out.
Question 1 of 7
bailiwick
a creature, variously described as a serpent, lizard, or dragon, said to kill by its breath or look.
place or source of origin.
a person's area of skill, knowledge, authority, or work.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of slough

2
1250–1300; Middle English slughe, slouh skin of a snake; cognate with German Schlauch skin, bag

SYNONYMS FOR slough

6 molt.

OTHER WORDS FROM slough

slough·i·ness, nounslough·y, adjectiveun·sloughed, adjectiveun·slough·ing, adjective

Words nearby slough

slotted spoon, slotter, slouch, slouch hat, slouchy, slough, slough off, slovak, slovakia, slovakian, sloven
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to sloughing

marshland, fen, mire, glade, quagmire, mud, moor, marsh, swampland, bog, quag, morass, swale, polder, wetland, exuviate, give, molt, sprinkle, slip

Example sentences from the Web for sloughing

British Dictionary definitions for sloughing (1 of 3)

Slough
/ (slaʊ) /

noun

an industrial town in SE central England, in Slough unitary authority, Berkshire; food products, high-tech industries. Pop: 126 276 (2001)
a unitary authority in SE central England, in Berkshire. Pop: 118 800 (2003 est). Area: 28 sq km (11 sq miles)

British Dictionary definitions for sloughing (2 of 3)

slough1
/ (slaʊ) /

noun

a hollow filled with mud; bog
(sluː) US and Canadian
  1. (in the prairies) a large hole where water collects or the water in such a hole
  2. (in the northwest) a sluggish side channel of a river
  3. (on the Pacific coast) a marshy saltwater inlet
despair or degradation

Derived forms of slough

sloughy, adjective

Word Origin for slough

Old English slōh; related to Middle High German sluoche ditch, Swedish slaga swamp

British Dictionary definitions for sloughing (3 of 3)

slough2
/ (slʌf) /

noun

any outer covering that is shed, such as the dead outer layer of the skin of a snake, the cellular debris in a wound, etc
Also: sluff bridge a discarded card

verb

(often foll by off) to shed (a skin, etc) or (of a skin, etc) to be shed
Also: sluff bridge to discard (a card or cards)

Derived forms of slough

sloughy, adjective

Word Origin for slough

C13: of Germanic origin; compare Middle Low German slū husk, German Schlauch hose, Norwegian slō fleshy part of a horn
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

Medical definitions for sloughing

slough
[ slŭf ]

n.

A layer or mass of dead tissue separated from surrounding living tissue, as in a wound, a sore, or an inflammation.

v.

To separate from surrounding living tissue. Used of dead tissue.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for sloughing

slough
[ slŭf ]

Noun

The dead outer skin shed by a reptile or an amphibian.

Verb

To shed an outer layer of skin.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.