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sloven

[sluhv-uh n]
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noun

a person who is habitually negligent of neatness or cleanliness in dress, appearance, etc.
a person who works, acts, speaks, etc., in a negligent, slipshod manner.

RELATED WORDS

hog, ragamuffin, boor, slattern, tatterdemalion, swine, pig

Nearby words

  1. slough,
  2. slough off,
  3. slovak,
  4. slovakia,
  5. slovakian,
  6. slovene,
  7. slovenia,
  8. slovenly,
  9. slow,
  10. slow burn

Origin of sloven

1400–50; late Middle English sloveyn, perhaps < Middle Dutch slof careless (Dutch slof careless, sloven to toil) + -inne feminine noun suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sloven

British Dictionary definitions for sloven

sloven

noun

a person who is habitually negligent in appearance, hygiene, or work

Word Origin for sloven

C15: probably related to Flemish sloef dirty, Dutch slof negligent
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 sloven

sloven

n.

late 15c., "immoral woman," later (16c.) also "rascal, knave" (regardless of gender); probably from a continental Germanic source, cf. Middle Flemish sloovin "a scold," sloef "untidy, shabby," Dutch slof "careless, negligent," Middle Low German sloven "put on clothes carelessly," from Proto-Germanic *slaubjan, from PIE *sleubh- "to slide, slip" (see sleeve). Meaning "person careless of dress or negligent of cleanliness" is from 1520s. Cf. also slut.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper