Slaughter, slaw′tėr, n. a killing: a great destruction of life: carnage: butchery.—ns. Slaugh′terer; Slaugh′terhouse, a place where beasts are killed for the market; Slaugh′terman, a man employed in killing or butchering animals.—adj. Slaugh′terous, given to slaughter: destructive: murderous.—adv. Slaugh′terously. [Prob. Ice. slátr, butchers' meat, whence slátra, to slaughter cattle. The A.S. is sleaht—sleán, to slay.]
Slav, Slave, släv, n. one belonging to any of the Slavonic groups of Aryans—Bulgarians, Czechs, Poles, Russians, Servians, Wends, &c.—adj. Slav′ic. [Slovene or Slovane, from Polish slovo, a word, thus meaning the people who spoke intelligibly, as distinguished from their neighbour, Niemets, the German, lit. the dumb man. Miklosich considers both to be tribal names.]
Slave, slāv, n. a captive in servitude: any one in bondage: a serf: one who labours like a slave: a drudge: one wholly under the will of another: one who has lost all power of resistance.—v.i. to work like a slave: to drudge.—adj. Slave′-born, born in slavery.—ns. Slave′-drī′ver, one who superintends slaves at their work; Slave′-fork, a long and heavy branch into the forked end of which a slave's neck is fixed to prevent his escaping from the slave-trader's gang.—adj. Slave′-grown, grown on land worked by slaves.—ns. Slave′-hold′er, an owner of slaves; Slave′-hold′ing; Slave′-hunt, a hunt after runaway slaves; Slā′ver, a ship employed in the slave-trade; Slā′very, the state of being a slave: serfdom: the state of being entirely under the will of another: bondage: drudgery; Slave′-ship, a ship used for transporting slaves.—n.pl. Slave′-states, those states of the American Union which maintained domestic slavery before the Civil War—Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee.—ns. Slave′-trade, the trade of buying and selling slaves; Slave′-trā′der, a trader in slaves; Slā′vey (slang), a domestic drudge, a maid-servant.—adj. Slā′vish, of or belonging to slaves: becoming slaves: servile: mean: base: laborious.—adv. Slā′vishly.—ns. Slā′vishness; Slāvoc′racy, slave-owners collectively, or their interests, &c.; Slā′vocrat, a member of the slavocracy. [O. Fr. esclave—Mid. High Ger. slave (Ger. sclave), from Slav, above.]
Slaver, slav′ėr, n. spittle or saliva running from the mouth.—v.i. to let the saliva run out of the mouth.—v.t. to smear with saliva.—n. Slav′erer.—adv. Slav′eringly, in a slavering manner.—adj. Slav′ery, slabbery. [Slabber.]
Slavonic, sla-von′ik, adj. of or belonging to the Slavs, or their language—also Sclavon′ic, Slavō′nian, Sclavō′nian.—vs.t. Slavon′icise, Slav′onise, to render Slavonic in character, language, &c.—ns. Slav′ophil, one devoted to promoting the interests of the Slavonic peoples; Slav′ophilism, Slavophil feelings and aims; Slav′ophōbist, one who dreads the growth of Slav influence.
Slaw, slaw, n. sliced cabbage eaten as a salad. [Dut. slaa.]
Slay, slā, v.t. to strike: to kill: to put to death: to destroy:—pa.t. slew (slōō); pa.p. slain (slān).—n. Slay′er. [A.S. sleán; Ice. slá, Goth. slahan, Ger. schlagen, to strike.]
Sleave, slēv, n. the ravelled, knotty part of silk thread: (Shak.) floss-silk.—v.t. to separate, as threads:—pr.p. sleav′ing; pa.p. sleaved. [Cf. Dan. slöife, a loose knot, Sw. slejf, a knot of ribbon, Ger. schleife, a loop.]
Sleazy, slā′zi, or slē′zi, adj. thin and flimsy.—n. Slea′ziness. [Prob. Ger. schleissig, worn out, readily split—schleissen, to split.]
Sled, sled, Sledge, slej, n. a carriage with runners made for sliding upon snow: a sleigh: anything dragged without wheels along the ground.—v.t. and v.i. to convey, or to travel, in a sled.—p.adj. Sled′ded (Shak.), sledged.—ns. Sled′ding, the act of transporting on a sled; Sledge′-chair, a chair mounted on runners for ice. [Ice. sledhi; from a root seen in A.S. slídan, to slide.]