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slake

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slake¹

  • /sleɪk/ UK

Rhymes with -eɪk

Where it comes from

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”).

verb slakes · slaking · slaked

  1. transitive To satisfy (thirst, or other desires). slake the heavenly fire

    Similar: quench, extinguish

  2. transitive To cool (something) with water or another liquid. 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.
  3. intransitive To become mixed with water, so that a true chemical combination takes place. The lime slakes.
  4. transitive To mix with water, so that a true chemical combination takes place. to slake lime
  5. intransitive, obsolete Of a person: to become less energetic, to slacken in one's efforts.
  6. intransitive, obsolete To slacken; to become relaxed or loose. When the body's strongest sinews slake.
  7. intransitive, obsolete To become less intense; to weaken, decrease in force. 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
  8. intransitive, obsolete To go out; to become extinct. His flame did slake.

slake²

  • /sleɪk/ UK

Rhymes with -eɪk

Where it comes from

Probably connected with Icelandic sleikja, "to lick", and German schlecken (“to lick”).

verb slakes · slaking · slaked

  1. Scotland, transitive To besmear.

noun slakes

  1. Scotland A sloppy mess.

slake³

  • /sleɪk/ UK

Rhymes with -eɪk

noun slakes

  1. 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[…]

Translations

Every language

verb to satisfy (thirst or other desires)

Españolsaciar
Portuguêsmatar, saciar
Françaisétancher, rassasier
Deutschstillen, befriedigen, löschen, zufriedenstellen
Русскийутоля́ть utoljátʹ

verb to cool with water

Españolapagar
Portuguêsapagar, extinguir
Deutschabkühlen, kühlen

verb to mix with water, so that a true chemical combination takes place

Deutschlöschen, ablöschen, einsumpfen

verb (obsolete in English) to become less energetic

Españolapagar
Deutschnachlassen, ermüden

verb ''(obsolete in English)'' to slacken

Españolaflojar
Deutschermüden, entspannen, erschlaffen

verb (obsolete in English) to become less intense

Españoldisminuir
Deutschabschwächen, nachlassen, dämpfen

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"slake." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/slake. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

slake. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/slake

Chicago

"slake." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/slake.

BibTeX
@misc{slake_2026,
  title = {slake},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/slake},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}