What does "slake" mean?
A sloppy mess.
Slake
/sleɪk/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A sloppy mess.
- Grammar: slake is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: allay, assuage, quench, abate.
- Useful contrasts: aggravate, arouse, dehydrate.
- Usage evidence: "Not so; though glory wait not on the act; / though poor the praise, and barren be the gain, / vengeance on feeble woman to exact, / yet praised hereafter shall his name remain, / who purges earth of such a monstrous stain. / Sweet is the passion of vindictive joy, / sweet is the punishment, where just the pain, / sweet the fierce ardour of revenge to cloy, / and slake with Dardan blood the funeral flames of Troy."
How to use "slake"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "slake" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "slake" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "slake" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "slake" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "slake" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "allay" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "slake", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A sloppy mess. Scotland
- 2 A slack, a tidal wetland.
"The slakes are waste lands bordering on the seashore, which are covered with water when the tide comes in. The word is common in Northumberland, where the slakes between the Mainland and Holy Island, are much frequented by sportsmen[…]"
Verb
- 1 To satisfy (thirst, or other desires). transitive
"slake the heavenly fire"
- 2 To besmear. Scotland, transitive
- 3 cause to heat and crumble by treatment with water wordnet
- 4 To cool (something) with water or another liquid. transitive
"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."
- 5 make less active or intense wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 To become mixed with water, so that a true chemical combination takes place. intransitive
"The lime slakes."
- 7 satisfy (thirst) wordnet
- 8 To mix with water, so that a true chemical combination takes place. transitive
"to slake lime"
- 9 Of a person: to become less energetic, to slacken in one's efforts. intransitive, obsolete
- 10 To slacken; to become relaxed or loose. intransitive, obsolete
"When the body's strongest sinews slake."
- 11 To become less intense; to weaken, decrease in force. intransitive, obsolete
"wherfor the quene waxed wroth with sir Launcelot / and vpon a day she called sir launcelot vnto her chamber and saide thus / Sir launcelot I see and fele dayly that thy loue begynneth to slake / for thou hast no Ioye to be in my presence / but euer thou arte oute of thys Courte "wherefore the queen waxed wroth with Sir Launcelot. And upon a day she called Sir Launcelot unto her chamber, and said thus: Sir Launcelot, I see and feel daily that thy love beginneth to slake, for thou hast no joy to be in my presence, but ever thou art out of this court""
- 12 To go out; to become extinct. intransitive, obsolete
"His flame did slake."
Example
""Not so; though glory wait not on the act; / though poor the praise, and barren be the gain, / vengeance on feeble woman to exact, / yet praised hereafter shall his name remain, / who purges earth of such a monstrous stain. / Sweet is the passion of vindictive joy, / sweet is the punishment, where just the pain, / sweet the fierce ardour of revenge to cloy, / and slake with Dardan blood the funeral flames of Troy.""
Common questions
What is a synonym for "slake"?
Common synonyms include: allay, assuage, quench, abate, abate, allay.
How do you use "slake" in a sentence?
"Not so; though glory wait not on the act; / though poor the praise, and barren be the gain, / vengeance on feeble woman to exact, / yet praised hereafter shall his name remain, / who purges earth of such a monstrous stain. / Sweet is the passion of vindictive joy, / sweet is the punishment, where just the pain, / sweet the fierce ardour of revenge to cloy, / and slake with Dardan blood the funeral flames of Troy."
How do you pronounce "slake"?
Pronounced /sleɪk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English slaken (“to render slack, to slake”), from Old English sleacian, from Old English slæc (“slack”). Unrelated to, but possibly influenced by, the Old Norse sløkkva (“to extinguish”), compare Swedish släcka in the phrase släcka sin törst (“quench one's thirst”), släcka elden (“put out the fire”), and släckt kalk (“slaked lime”).
Etymology 2
Probably connected with Icelandic sleikja, "to lick", and German schlecken (“to lick”).