Sloth Sloth noun [ Middle English slouthe , sleuthe , Anglo-Saxon sl...w... , from slāw slow. See Slow .] 1. Slowness; tardiness.

These cardinals trifle with me; I abhor
This dilatory sloth and tricks of Rome.

Shak.

2. Disinclination to action or labor; sluggishness; laziness; idleness.

[ They] change their course to pleasure, ease, and sloth .

Milton.

Sloth , like rust, consumes faster than labor wears.

Franklin.

3. (Zoology) Any one of several species of arboreal edentates constituting the family Bradypodidæ , and the suborder Tardigrada. They have long exserted limbs and long prehensile claws. Both jaws are furnished with teeth (see Illust. of Edentata ), and the ears and tail are rudimentary. They inhabit South and Central America and Mexico.

» The three-toed sloths belong to the genera Bradypus and Arctopithecus , of which several species have been described. They have three toes on each foot. The best-known species are collared sloth ( Bradypus tridactylus ), and the ai ( Arctopitheus ai ). The two-toed sloths, consisting the genus Cholopus , have two toes on each fore foot and three on each hind foot. The best-known is the unau ( Cholopus didactylus ) of South America. See Unau . Another species ( C. Hoffmanni ) inhabits Central America. Various large extinct terrestrial edentates, such as Megatherium and Mylodon, are often called sloths .

Australian, or Native sloth (Zoology) , the koala. -- Sloth animalcule (Zoology) , a tardigrade. -- Sloth bear (Zoology) , a black or brown long-haired bear ( Melursus ursinus, or labiatus ), native of India and Ceylon; -- called also aswail , labiated bear , and jungle bear . It is easily tamed and can be taught many tricks. -- Sloth monkey (Zoology) , a loris.

Sloth Sloth intransitive verb To be idle. [ Obsolete] Gower.

Slothful Sloth"ful adjective Addicted to sloth; inactive; sluggish; lazy; indolent; idle.

He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.

Prov. xviii. 9.

-- Sloth"ful*ly , adverb -- Sloth"ful*ness , noun

Slothhound Sloth"hound` noun [ See Slot a track, and confer Sleuthhound .] (Zoology) See Sleuthhound .

Slotted Slot"ted adjective Having a slot.

Slotting Slot"ting noun The act or process of making slots, or mortises.

Slouch Slouch noun [ Confer Icelandic sl...kr a slouching felloew, and English slack , slug , a lazy fellow.] 1. A hanging down of the head; a drooping attitude; a limp appearance; an ungainly, clownish gait; a sidewise depression or hanging down, as of a hat brim.

2. An awkward, heavy, clownish fellow. [ Colloq.]

Slouth hat , a soft, limp hat of unstiffened cloth or felt.

Slouch Slouch intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Slouched ; present participle & verbal noun Slouching .] 1. To droop, as the head.

2. To walk in a clumsy, lazy manner. [ Colloq.]

Slouch Slouch transitive verb To cause to hang down; to depress at the side; as, to slouth the hat.

Slouching Slouch"ing adjective Hanging down at the side; limp; drooping; without firmness or shapeliness; moving in an ungainly manner.

Slouchy Slouch"y adjective Slouching. [ Colloq.]

Slough Slough adjective Slow. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Slough Slough noun [ Middle English slogh , slough , Anglo-Saxon slōh a hollow place; confer Middle High German slūch an abyss, gullet, German schlucken to swallow; also Gael. & Ir. sloc a pit, pool. ditch, Ir. slug to swallow. Greek ............... to hiccough, to sob.] 1. A place of deep mud or mire; a hole full of mire. Chaucer.

He's here stuck in a slough .

Milton.

2. [ Pronounced slō.] A wet place; a swale; a side channel or inlet from a river. [ In this sense local or provincial; also spelt sloo , and slue .]

Slough grass (Botany) , a name in the Mississippi valley for grasses of the genus Muhlenbergia ; -- called also drop seed , and nimble Will .

Slough Slough obsolete imperfect of Slee , to slay. Slew. Chaucer.

Slough Slough noun [ Middle English slugh , slouh ; confer Middle High German sl...ch the skin of a serpent, German schlauch a skin, a leather bag or bottle.] 1. The skin, commonly the cast-off skin, of a serpent or of some similar animal.

2. (Medicine) The dead mass separating from a foul sore; the dead part which separates from the living tissue in mortification.

Slough Slough intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Sloughed ; present participle & verbal noun Sloughing .] (Medicine) To form a slough; to separate in the form of dead matter from the living tissues; -- often used with off , or away ; as, a sloughing ulcer; the dead tissues slough off slowly.

Slough Slough transitive verb To cast off; to discard as refuse.

New tint the plumage of the birds,
And slough decay from grazing herds.

Emerson.

Sloughing Slough"ing noun (Zoology) The act of casting off the skin or shell, as do insects and crustaceans; ecdysis.

Sloughy Slough"y adjective Full of sloughs, miry.

Sloughy Slough"y adjective Resembling, or of the nature of, a slough, or the dead matter which separates from living flesh.

Sloven Slov"en noun [ Dutch slaf careless, negligent, a sloven; akin to LG. sluf slovenly.] A man or boy habitually negligent of neathess and order; -- the correlative term to slattern , or slut . Pope.

He became a confirmed sloven .

Macaulay.

Slovenliness Slov"en·li·ness noun The quality or state of being slovenly.

Slovenly Slov"en·ly adjective 1. Having the habits of a sloven; negligent of neatness and order, especially in dress.

A slovenly , lazy fellow, lolling at his ease.

L'Estrange.

2. Characteristic of a sloven; lacking neatness and order; evincing negligence; as, slovenly dress.

Slovenly Slov"en·ly adverb a slovenly manner.

Slovenness Slov"en·ness noun Slovenliness. [ Obsolete] Fuller.

Slovenry Slov"en·ry noun Slovenliness. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Slow Slow (slō), obsolete imperfect of Slee , to slay. Slew. Chaucer.

Slow Slow (slō) adjective [ Compar. Slower ; superl. Slowest .] [ Middle English slow , slaw , Anglo-Saxon slāw ; akin to Old Saxon slēu blunt, dull, Dutch sleeuw , slee , sour, Old High German slēo blunt, dull, Icelandic slōr , slær , Danish slöv , Swedish slö . Confer Sloe , and Sloth .] 1. Moving a short space in a relatively long time; not swift; not quick in motion; not rapid; moderate; deliberate; as, a slow stream; a slow motion.

2. Not happening in a short time; gradual; late.

These changes in the heavens, though slow , produced
Like change on sea and land, sidereal blast.

Milton.

3. Not ready; not prompt or quick; dilatory; sluggish; as, slow of speech, and slow of tongue.

Fixed on defense, the Trojans are not slow
To guard their shore from an expected foe.

Dryden.

4. Not hasty; not precipitate; acting with deliberation; tardy; inactive.

He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding.

Prov. xiv. 29.

5. Behind in time; indicating a time earlier than the true time; as, the clock or watch is slow .

6. Not advancing or improving rapidly; as, the slow growth of arts and sciences.

7. Heavy in wit; not alert, prompt, or spirited; wearisome; dull. [ Colloq.] Dickens. Thackeray.

» Slow is often used in the formation of compounds for the most part self-explaining; as, slow -gaited, slow - paced, slow -sighted, slow -winged, and the like.

Slow coach , a slow person. See def.7, above. [ Colloq.] -- Slow lemur , or Slow loris (Zoology) , an East Indian nocturnal lemurine animal ( Nycticebus tardigradus ) about the size of a small cat; -- so called from its slow and deliberate movements. It has very large round eyes and is without a tail. Called also bashful Billy . -- Slow match . See under Match .

Syn. -- Dilatory; late; lingering; tardy; sluggish; dull; inactive. -- Slow , Tardy , Dilatory . Slow is the wider term, denoting either a want of rapid motion or inertness of intellect. Dilatory signifies a proneness to defer , a habit of delaying the performance of what we know must be done. Tardy denotes the habit of being behind hand; as, tardy in making up one's acounts.

Slow Slow adverb Slowly.

Let him have time to mark how slow time goes
In time of sorrow.

Shak.

Slow Slow transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Slowed ; present participle & verbal noun Slowing .] To render slow; to slacken the speed of; to retard; to delay; as, to slow a steamer. Shak.

Slow Slow intransitive verb To go slower; -- often with up ; as, the train slowed up before crossing the bridge.

Slow Slow noun A moth. [ Obsolete] Rom. of R.

Slow-witted Slow"-wit`ted adjective Dull of apprehension; not possessing quick intelligence.

Slowback Slow"back` noun A lubber; an idle fellow; a loiterer. [ Old Slang] Dr. Favour.

Slowh Slowh obsolete imperfect of Slee ,to slay. Chaucer.

Slowhound Slow"hound` noun A sleuthhound. [ R.]

Slowly Slow"ly adverb In a slow manner; moderately; not rapidly; not early; not rashly; not readly; tardly.

Slowness Slow"ness noun The quality or state of being slow.

Slows Slows noun (Medicine) Milk sickness.

Slowworm Slow"worm` noun [ Anglo-Saxon slāwyrm ; the first part is probably akin to sleán to strike, the reptile being supposed to be very poisonous. See Slay , transitive verb , and Worm .] (Zoology) A lecertilian reptile; the blindworm.

Sloyd Sloyd noun [ Written also slojd , and sloid .] [ Swedish slöjd skill, dexterity, esp. skilled labor, hence, manufacture, wood carving.] Lit., skilled mechanical work, such as that required in wood carving; trade work; hence, a system (usually called the sloyd system ) of manual training in the practical use of the tools and materials used in the trades, and of instruction in the making and use of the plans and specifications connected with trade work. The sloyd system derives its name from the fact that it was adopted or largely developed from a similar Swedish system, in which wood carving was a chief feature. Its purpose is not only to afford practical skill in some trade, but also to develop the pupils mentally and physically.

Slub Slub noun [ Etymol. uncertain.] A roll of wool slightly twisted; a rove; -- called also slubbing .

Slub Slub transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Slubbed ; present participle & verbal noun Slubbing .] To draw out and twist slightly; -- said of slivers of wool.

Slubber Slub"ber transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Slubbered ; present participle & verbal noun Slubbering .] [ Confer Danish slubbre to swallow, to sup up, Dutch slobberen to lap, to slabber. Confer Slabber .] 1. To do lazily, imperfectly, or coarsely.

Slubber not business for my sake.

Shak.

2. To daub; to stain; to cover carelessly.

There is no art that hath more . . . slubbered with aphorisming pedantry than the art of policy.

Milton.

Slubber Slub"ber noun A slubbing machine.

Slubberdegullion Slub"ber·de·gul`lion noun [ Slubber + Prov. English gullion a wretch.] A mean, dirty wretch. [ Low]

Slubberingly Slub"ber·ing·ly adverb In a slovenly, or hurried and imperfect, manner. [ Low] Drayton.

Slubbing Slub"bing adjective & noun from Slub .

Slubbing billy , or Slubbing machine , the machine by which slubs are formed.

Sludge Sludge noun [ CF. Slush .] 1. Mud; mire; soft mud; slush. Mortimer. Tennyson.

2. Small floating pieces of ice, or masses of saturated snow. Kane.

3. (Mining) See Slime , 4.

Sludge hole , the hand-hole, or manhole, in a steam boiler, by means of which sediment can be removed.

Sludge Sludge noun Anything resembling mud or slush; as: (a) A muddy or slimy deposit from sweage. (b) Mud from a drill hole in boring. (c) Muddy sediment in a steam boiler. (d) Settling of cottonseed oil, used in making soap, etc. (e) A residuum of crude paraffin-oil distillation.

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