slak

See also: şlak, slák, and šlak

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch slak, from Middle Dutch slecke, slacke, from Old Dutch [Term?], from Proto-Germanic *slikkō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slak/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

slak (plural slakke)

1. snail

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /slɑk/
• Hyphenation: slak
• Rhymes: -ɑk

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch slecke, slacke, from Old Dutch *slekki (attested in personal names), from Proto-Germanic *slikkō, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sliǵ-ōn, from *sley- (“smooth; slick; sticky; slimy”). Cognate with Luxembourgish Schleek, German Low German Slacke, Slack (“snail”).

Alternative forms

• slek (dialectal)

Noun

slak f or m (plural slakken, diminutive slakje n)

1. snail, slug (any gastropod)

Derived terms

• akkerslak
• huisjesslak
• keverslak
• kieuwslak
• korfslak
• longslak
• moerasslak
• naaktslak
• segrijnslak
• slakkengang
• slakkengif
• slakkenhuis
• slakkenkorrel
• tuinslak
• waterslak
• wegslak
• wijngaardslak
• zeenaaktslak
• zeeslak

 

Descendants

• Afrikaans: slak

Etymology 2

From Middle Low German slagge, whence also German Schlacke, English slag. See the latter.

Noun

slak f (plural slakken)

1. slag (the impurities which result and are separated out when melting a metal or refining it from its ore)
2. hard, molten leftovers of burnt coal and other solid fuels

Anagrams

• klas

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse slakr.

Adjective

slak (masculine and feminine slak, neuter slakt, definite singular and plural slake, comparative slakere, indefinite superlative slakest, definite superlative slakeste)

1. slack (rope, sails)
2. gentle (curve, slope)
3. loose (ice)
4. weak, feeble

References

• “slak” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “slak_1” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse slakr.

Adjective

slak (neuter slakt, definite singular and plural slake, comparative slakare, indefinite superlative slakast, definite superlative slakaste)

1. slack (rope, sails)
2. gentle (curve, slope)
3. loose (ice)
4. weak, feeble

Alternative forms

• slakk

References

• “slak” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *sъvolkъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slâːk/

Noun

slȃk m (Cyrillic spelling сла̑к)

1. bindweed

Declension

Declension of slak

	singular	plural
nominative	slȃk	slȁkovi
genitive	slaka	slakova
dative	slaku	slakovima
accusative	slak	slakove
vocative	slače	slakovi
locative	slaku	slakovima
instrumental	slakom	slakovima

References

• “slak”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024

Swedish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Swedish slaker, from Old Norse slakr, from Proto-Germanic *slakaz.

Adjective

slak (comparative slakare, superlative slakast)

1. slack, not taut (of something that can be taut, like a rope or sail or hanging flag)

   Antonyms: styv, spänd

2. flaccid (of a penis)

   Antonyms: erigerad, styv

3. (figuratively) weak, powerless

   Hon kände sig slak i benen

   Her legs felt weak ("She felt untaut in the legs")

Declension

Inflection of slak
Indefinite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative2
Common singular	slak	slakare	slakast
Neuter singular	slakt	slakare	slakast
Plural	slaka	slakare	slakast
Masculine plural3	slake	slakare	slakast
Definite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Masculine singular1	slake	slakare	slakaste
All	slaka	slakare	slakaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative. 3) Dated or archaic

Related terms

• slakna

See also

• slapp

References

• slak in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• slak in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• slak in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• slak in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

West Frisian

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *slikkō, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sliǵ-ōn, from *sley- (“smooth; slick; sticky; slimy”).

Noun

slak c (plural slakken, diminutive slakje)

1. snail

Further reading

• “slak (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011