Sloth

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /sləʊθ/, /slɒθ/
• US
• Rhymes: -əʊθ

Alternative forms

• sloath, slowth obsolete

Origin

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").

Full definition of sloth

Noun

1. (uncountable) Laziness; slowness in the mindset; disinclination to action or labour.
• MiltonThey change their course to pleasure, ease, and sloth.
• FranklinSloth, like rust, consumes faster than labour wears.
2. (countable) A herbivorous, arboreal South American mammal of the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae, noted for its slowness and inactivity.
3. (rare) A collective term for a group of bears.

Usage notes

Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins.

Derived terms

• forsloth
• Australian sloth
• native sloth
• sloth animalcule
• sloth bear
• slothful
• sloth monkey

Hyponyms

• (animal) two-toed sloth

Related terms

• slowth

Verb

1. (obsolete, intransitive) To be idle.

Anagrams

• holts