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Origin of slough

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English slough, slugh(e), slouh “skin of a snake”; cognate with Low German sluwe, slu “husk, peel,” German Schlauch “skin, wineskin, bag”

OTHER WORDS FROM slough

slough·i·ness, nounsloughy, adjectiveun·sloughed, adjectiveun·slough·ing, adjective

Other definitions for slough (2 of 2)

slough2
[ slou for 1, 2, 4; sloo for 3 ]
/ slaʊ for 1, 2, 4; slu for 3 /

noun
an area of soft, muddy ground; swamp or swamplike region.
a hole full of mire, as in a road.
Also slew, slue .Northern U.S. and Canadian. a marshy or reedy pool, pond, inlet, backwater, or the like.
a condition of degradation, despair, or helplessness.

Origin of slough

2
First recorded before 900; Middle English slough(e), slouh(e) “muddy place, mud hole,” Old English slōh, slōg; cognate with Middle Low German slōch, Middle High German sluoche “ditch”; further origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use slough in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for slough (1 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 slough (2 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

British Dictionary definitions for slough (3 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)
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

Scientific definitions for slough

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.
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