Webster's Dictionary, 1913
Sleep-charged adjective Heavy with sleep.
Sleeper noun 1. One who sleeps; a slumberer; hence, a drone, or lazy person. 2. That which lies dormant, as a law. [ Obsolete]
Bacon. 3. A sleeping car. [ Colloq. U.S.]
4. (Zoology) An animal that hibernates, as the bear. 5. (Zoology) (a) A large fresh-water gobioid fish ( Eleotris dormatrix ). (b) A nurse shark. See under Nurse .
Sleeper noun [ Confer Norw.
sleip a sleeper (a timber), as adj., slippery, smooth. See
Slape .]
Something lying in a reclining posture or position. Specifically: --
(a) One of the pieces of timber, stone, or iron, on or near the level of the ground, for the support of some superstructure, to steady framework, to keep in place the rails of a railway, etc.; a stringpiece. (b) One of the joists, or roughly shaped timbers, laid directly upon the ground, to receive the flooring of the ground story. [ U.S.]
(c) (Nautical) One of the knees which connect the transoms to the after timbers on the ship's quarter. (d) (Nautical) The lowest, or bottom, tier of casks.
Sleepful adjective Strongly inclined to sleep; very sleepy. -- Sleep"ful*ness , noun
Sleepily adverb In a sleepy manner; drowsily.
Sleepiness noun The quality or state of being sleepy.
Sleeping adjective & noun from Sleep . Sleeping car ,
a railway car or carrriage, arranged with apartments and berths for sleeping. --
Sleeping partner (Com.) ,
a dormant partner. See under Dormant . --
Sleeping table (Mining) ,
a stationary inclined platform on which pulverized ore is washed; a kind of buddle.
Sleepish adjective Disposed to sleep; sleepy; drowsy. Your sleepish , and more than sleepish , security.
Ford.
Sleepless adjective
1. Having no sleep; wakeful. 2. Having no rest; perpetually agitated. "Biscay's sleepless bay." Byron. -- Sleep"less*ly , adverb -- Sleep"less*ness , noun
Sleepmarken noun (Zoology) See 1st Hag , 4.
Sleepwaker noun On in a state of magnetic or mesmeric sleep.
Sleepwaking noun The state of one mesmerized, or in a partial and morbid sleep.
Sleepwalker noun One who walks in his sleep; a somnambulist.
Sleepwalking noun Walking in one's sleep.
Sleepy adjective [
Compar. Sleepier ;
superl. Sleepiest .] [ Anglo-Saxon
sl...pig . See
Sleep ,
noun ]
1. Drowsy; inclined to, or overcome by, sleep. Shak. She waked her sleepy crew.
Dryden. 2. Tending to induce sleep; soporiferous; somniferous; as, a sleepy drink or potion. Chaucer. 3. Dull; lazy; heavy; sluggish. Shak. 'Tis not sleepy business;
But must be looked to speedily and strongly.
Shak. 4. Characterized by an absence of watchfulness; as, sleepy security. Sleepy duck (Zoology) ,
the ruddy duck.
Sleepyhead noun 1. A sleepy person. To bed, to bed, says Sleepyhead .
Mother Goose. 2. (Zoology) The ruddy duck.
Sleer noun A slayer. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.
Sleet noun (Gun.) The part of a mortar extending from the chamber to the trunnions.
Sleet noun [ Middle English sleet ; akin to Middle High German sl...z , sl...ze hailstone, German schlosse ; of uncertain origin.] Hail or snow, mingled with rain, usually falling, or driven by the wind, in fine particles.
Sleet intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Sleeted ;
present participle & verbal noun Sleeting .]
To snow or hail with a mixture of rain.
Sleetch noun [ Confer
Slush ,
Slutch .]
Mud or slime, such as that at the bottom of rivers. [ Scot.]
Sleetiness noun The state of being sleety.
Sleety adjective Of or pertaining to sleet; characterized by sleet; as, a sleety storm; sleety weather.
Sleeve noun See Sleave , untwisted thread.
Sleeve noun [ Middle English
sleeve ,
sleve , Anglo-Saxon
sl...fe ,
sl...fe ; akin to
sl...fan to put on, to clothe; confer OD.
sloove the turning up of anything,
sloven to turn up one's sleeves,
sleve a sleeve, German
schlaube a husk, pod.]
1. The part of a garment which covers the arm; as, the sleeve of a coat or a gown. Chaucer. 2. A narrow channel of water. [ R.]
The Celtic Sea, called oftentimes the Sleeve .
Drayton. 3. (Machinery) (a) A tubular part made to cover, sustain, or steady another part, or to form a connection between two parts. (b) A long bushing or thimble, as in the nave of a wheel. (c) A short piece of pipe used for covering a joint, or forming a joint between the ends of two other pipes. Sleeve button ,
a detachable button to fasten the wristband or cuff. --
Sleeve links ,
two bars or buttons linked together, and used to fasten a cuff or wristband. --
To laugh in the sleeve ,
to laugh privately or unperceived, especially while apparently preserving a grave or serious demeanor toward the person or persons laughed at; that is, perhaps, originally, by hiding the face in the wide sleeves of former times. --
To pin , or
hang ,
on the sleeve of ,
to be, or make, dependent upon.
Sleeve transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Sleeved ;
present participle & verbal noun Sleeving .]
To furnish with sleeves; to put sleeves into; as, to sleeve a coat.
Sleeve noun (Electricity) A double tube of copper, in section like the figure 8, into which the ends of bare wires are pushed so that when the tube is twisted an electrical connection is made. The joint thus made is called a McIntire joint .
Sleeved adjective Having sleeves; furnished with sleeves; -- often in composition; as, long- sleeved .
Sleevefish noun (Zoology) A squid.
Sleevehand noun The part of a sleeve nearest the hand; a cuff or wristband. [ Obsolete] Shak.
Sleeveless adjective [ Anglo-Saxon
sl...fleás .]
1. Having no sleeves. 2. Wanting a cover, pretext, or palliation; unreasonable; profitless; bootless; useless. [ Obsolete]
Shak. The vexation of a sleeveless errand.
Bp. Warburton.
Sleid transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Sleided ;
present participle & verbal noun Sleiding .] [ See
Sley .]
To sley, or prepare for use in the weaver's sley, or slaie. Shak.
Sleigh adjective Sly. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.
Sleigh noun [ Confer D. & LG.
slede ,
slee , Icelandic
sle...i . See
Sled .]
A vehicle moved on runners, and used for transporting persons or goods on snow or ice; -- in England commonly called a sledge . Sleigh bell ,
a small bell attached either to a horse when drawing a slegh, or to the sleigh itself; especially a globular bell with a loose ball which plays inside instead of a clapper.
Sleighing noun
1. The act of riding in a sleigh. 2. The state of the snow or ice which admits of running sleighs.
Sleight noun [ Middle English
sleighte ,
sleihte ,
sleithe , Icelandic
sl...g... (for
sl...g... ) slyness, cunning, from
sl...gr (for
sl...gr ) sly, cunning. See
Sly .]
1. Cunning; craft; artful practice. [ Obsolete] "His
sleight and his covin."
Chaucer. 2. An artful trick; sly artifice; a feat so dexterous that the manner of performance escapes observation. The world hath many subtle sleights .
Latimer. 3. Dexterous practice; dexterity; skill. Chaucer. "The juggler's
sleight ."
Hudibras. Sleight of hand ,
legerdemain; prestidigitation.
Sleightful adjective Cunning; dexterous. [ Obsolete]
Sleightly adverb Cinningly. [ Obsolete] Huloet.
Sleighty adjective Cinning; sly. [ Obsolete] Huloet.
Slender adjective [
Compar. Slenderer ;
superl. Slenderest .] [ Middle English
slendre ,
sclendre , from OD.
slinder thin, slender, perhaps through a French form; confer OD.
slinderen ,
slidderen , to creep; perhaps akin to English
slide .]
1. Small or narrow in proportion to the length or the height; not thick; slim; as, a slender stem or stalk of a plant. "A
slender , choleric man."
Chaucer. She, as a veil down to the slender waist,
Her unadorned golden tresses wore.
Milton. 2. Weak; feeble; not strong; slight; as, slender hope; a slender constitution. Mighty hearts are held in slender chains.
Pope. They have inferred much from slender premises.
J. H. Newman. The slender utterance of the consonants.
J. Byrne. 3. Moderate; trivial; inconsiderable; slight; as, a man of slender intelligence. A slender degree of patience will enable him to enjoy both the humor and the pathos.
Sir W. Scott. 4. Small; inadequate; meager; pitiful; as, slender means of support; a slender pittance. Frequent begging makes slender alms.
Fuller. 5. Spare; abstemious; frugal; as, a slender diet. The good Ostorius often deigned
To grace my slender table with his presence.
Philips. 6. (Phon.) Uttered with a thin tone; -- the opposite of broad ; as, the slender vowels long e and i . --
Slen"der*ly ,
adverb --
Slen"der*ness ,
noun
Slent noun & v. See Slant . [ Obsolete]
Slep obsolete
imperfect of Sleep . Slept. Chaucer.
Slepez noun [ Russian sliepets' .] (Zoology) A burrowing rodent ( Spalax typhlus ), native of Russia and Asia Minor. It has the general appearance of a mole, and is destitute of eyes. Called also mole rat .
Slept imperfect & past participle of Sleep .
Sleuth noun [ Icelandic
slōð . See
Slot a track.]
The track of man or beast as followed by the scent. [ Scot.]
Halliwell.
Sleuthhound noun [ See
Sleuth , and confer
Slothound .]
(Zoology) A hound that tracks animals by the scent; specifically, a bloodhound. [ Spelt variously
slouthhound ,
sluthhound , etc.]
Slew transitive verb See Slue .
Slew (slō)
noun [ See
Slough a wet place.]
A wet place; a river inlet. The praire round about is wet, at times almost marshy, especially at the borders of the great reedy slews .
T. Roosevelt.
Slewed adjective Somewhat drunk. [ Slang]