slake
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Middle English slaken (“to render slack, to slake”), from Old English sleacian, from sleac (“slack”).
Pronunciation [edit]
Verb [edit]
slake (third-person singular simple present slakes, present participle slaking, simple past and past participle slaked)
- (intransitive, obsolete) Of a person: to become less energetic, to slacken in one's efforts. [11th-17th c.]
- (intransitive, obsolete) To slacken; to become relaxed or loose. [11th-16th c.]
- Sir J. Davies
- When the body's strongest sinews slake.
- Sir J. Davies
- (intransitive, obsolete) To become less intense; to weaken, decrease in force. [14th-19th c.]
- 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book XVIII:
- ‘Sir Launcelot, I se and fele dayly that youre love begynnyth to slake, for ye have no joy to be in my presence, but ever ye ar oute of thys courte [...].’
- 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book XVIII:
- (intransitive, obsolete) To go out; to become extinct.
- Sir Thomas Browne
- His flame did slake.
- Sir Thomas Browne
- (transitive) To satisfy (thirst, or other desires); to quench. [from 14th c.]
- 1991, David Koulack, To catch a dream: explorations of dreaming, page 98:
- In that study, some of the subjects had dreams in which they were slaking their thirst, very much like the dreams of convenience Freud described.
- 1991, David Koulack, To catch a dream: explorations of dreaming, page 98:
- (transitive) To cool (something) with water or another liquid. [from 14th c.]
- 1961, Lawrence Durrell, Justine, page 14
- Notes for landscape tones. Long sequences of tempera. Light filtered through the essence of lemons. An air full of brick-dust - sweet smelling brick dust and the odour of hot pavements slaked with water.
- 1961, Lawrence Durrell, Justine, page 14
- (intransitive) To become mixed with water, so that a true chemical combination takes place.
- The lime slakes.
Translations [edit]
To satisfy thirst
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