slough etymology

Etymology:

  • Middle English "slough," from Old English "sloh" meaning "marsh, mire, bog."
  • Related to the Old Norse "slug," meaning "swamp, bog."

Meaning:

  • A wet, muddy area of land, especially a boggy or marshy place.
  • A slow-moving, slimy mass or substance.
  • The cast-off skin of a snake or other reptile.

Origin:

The word "slough" has its origins in the Primitive Germanic language, from which both Old English and Old Norse are derived. The Germanic root sluh-/sluha- referred to wet, swampy areas and may have been related to the root *slu- meaning "to slip or slide."

Over time, the word "slough" has developed various meanings, but its core sense remains that of a wet, muddy place. The term "slough off" means to shed or cast off, which originally referred to the shedding of a snake's skin but is now used figuratively to describe the discarding of old ideas, habits, or other things.

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