Slur

Pronunciation

• IPA: /slɜː(r)/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)

Origin

From Middle English slore. Compare Old Norse slóðra ("to drag oneself along"). Cognate with Middle Low German sluren ("to trail in mud"). Related to dialect Norwegian sløra ("to be careless, to scamp, dawdle"), Danish sløre ("to wobble, be loose") (especially for wheels).

Full definition of slur

Noun

1. An insult or slight.
   a racial slur
2. (music) A set of notes that are played legato, without separate articulation.
3. (music) The symbol indicating a legato passage, written as an arc over the slurred notes (not to be confused with a tie).
4. (obsolete) A trick or deception.
5. In knitting machines, a device for depressing the sinkers successively by passing over them.

Verb

1. To insult or slight.
2. To run together; to articulate poorly.
   to slur syllables;  He slurs his speech when he is drunk.
• 2014-04-21, Subtle effects, Manganism has been known about since the 19th century, when miners exposed to ores containing manganese, a silvery metal, began to totter, slur their speech and behave like someone inebriated.
3. (music) To play legato or without separate articulation; to connect (notes) smoothly.
4. To soil; to sully; to contaminate; to disgrace.
5. To cover over; to disguise; to conceal; to pass over lightly or with little notice.
• John Dryden (1631-1700)With periods, points, and tropes, he slurs his crimes.
6. To cheat, as by sliding a die; to trick.
• 1662, Samuel Butler, Hudibrasto slur men of what they fought for
7. (printing, dated) To blur or double, as an impression from type; to mackle.

Derived terms

• slur over

Anagrams

• URLs