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slam

/ˈslæm/ noun

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

  1. Winning all or all but one of the tricks in bridge.
  2. The noise made by the forceful impact of two objects.
  3. A forceful impact that makes a loud noise.

verb

  1. Close violently.
    He slammed the door shut
  2. Strike violently.
    slam the ball
  3. Dance the slam dance.

Origin

From Middle English *slammen (not recorded), apparently from a Scandinavian source ultimately from Old Norse slæma, slœma (“to slam, swing a weapon, strike an object out of reach”), related to Old Norse slamra, slambra (“to slam”). Cognate with Norwegian Bokmål slamre (“to slam”), Swedish slamra (“to pound, beat, make a clatter, rattle”), Norwegian Nynorsk slamra (“to sway, dangle”).

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