Slake
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: /sleɪk/
- Rhymes: -eɪk
Origin
From Middle English slaken ("to render slack, to slake"), from Old English sleacian, from sleac ("slack").
Full definition of slake
Verb
- (intransitive, obsolete) Of a person: to become less energetic, to slacken in one's efforts. 11th-17th c.
- (intransitive, obsolete) To slacken; to become relaxed or loose. 11th-16th c.
- Sir J. DaviesWhen the body's strongest sinews slake.
- (intransitive, obsolete) To become less intense; to weaken, decrease in force. 14th-19th c.
- 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book XVIII:‘Sir Launcelot, I se and fele dayly that youre love begynnyth to slake, for ye have no joy to be in my presence, but ever ye ar oute of thys courte ....’
- (intransitive, obsolete) To go out; to become extinct.
- Sir Thomas BrowneHis flame did slake.
- (transitive) To satisfy (thirst, or other desires); to quench; to extinguish. from 14th c.
- 1991, David Koulack, To catch a dream: explorations of dreaming‎, In that study, some of the subjects had dreams in which they were slaking their thirst, very much like the dreams of convenience Freud described.
- ShakespeareIt could not slake mine ire nor ease my heart.
- Spenserslake the heavenly fire
- (transitive) To cool (something) with water or another liquid. from 14th c.
- 1961, Lawrence Durrell, , page 14Notes 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.
- (intransitive) To become mixed with water, so that a true chemical combination takes place.The lime slakes.
- (transitive) To mix with water, so that a true chemical combination takes place.to slake lime