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slake

/sleɪk/ verb

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about slake at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. Satisfy (thirst).
    The cold water quenched his thirst
  2. Make less active or intense.
  3. Cause to heat and crumble by treatment with water.
    slack lime

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)