Slowth
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Alternative form of sloth (“slowness, slothfulness”). alt-of, alternative, archaic, uncountable
"October 15, 1777, George Washington, to Governor George Clinton […] but such was the reduced state of our Continental regiments, after the battle of Brandywine, and such the slowth and difficulty of procuring reinforcements of militia from the southward, […] (1890 edition)"
- 2 Slow economic growth. uncountable
"Slowth lies behind the difficulties each of us faces in achieving the standard of living we desire."
- 3 The state or condition of being slow; slowness. uncountable
"Good old-fashioned slowth is being looked at with new interest, as is exemplified by such old antiques as the old Douglas Skyraider. And, of course the helicopter, slowest of all, so slow you can easily make one go backwards."
Example
More examples"October 15, 1777, George Washington, to Governor George Clinton […] but such was the reduced state of our Continental regiments, after the battle of Brandywine, and such the slowth and difficulty of procuring reinforcements of militia from the southward, […] (1890 edition)"
Etymology
From Middle English slouthe, slewthe, from Old English slǣwþ (“sloth, indolence, laziness, inertness, torpor”), from Proto-Germanic *slaiwiþō (“slowness, lateness”), equivalent to slow + -th. Cognate with Scots sleuth (“sloth, slowness”).
Blend of slow + growth.
Recoinage from slow + -th (abstract nominal suffix).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.