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Webster 1913 Edition

Slay

Slay

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp.
Slew
;
p. p.
Slain
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Slaying
.]
[OE.
slan
,
sl[GREEK]n
,
sleen
,
slee
, AS.
sleán
to strike, beat, slay; akin to OFries.
slā
, D.
slaan
, OS. & OHG.
slahan
, G.
schlagen
, Icel.
slā
, Dan.
slaae
, Sw.
sl[GREEK]
, Goth.
slahan
; perhaps akin to L.
lacerare
to tear to pieces, Gr. [GREEK][GREEK][GREEK][GREEK], E.
lacerate
. Cf.
Slaughter
,
Sledge
a hammer,
Sley
.]
To put to death with a weapon, or by violence; hence, to kill; to put an end to; to destroy.
With this sword then will I
slay
you both.
Chaucer.
I will
slay
the last of them with the sword.
Amos ix. 1.
I’ll
slay
more gazers than the basilisk.
Shakespeare
Syn. – To kill; murder; slaughter; butcher.

Webster 1828 Edition

Slay

SLAY

,
Verb.
T.
pret. slew; pp. slain. [The proper sense is to strike, and as beating was an early mode of killing, this word, like smite, came to signify to kill. It seems to be formed on the root of lay; as we say to lay on.]
1.
To kill; to put to death by a weapon or by violence. We say, he slew a man with a sword, with a stone, or with a club, or with other arms; but we never say, the serif slays a malefactor with a halter, or a man is slain on the gallows or by poison. So the slay retains something of its primitive sense of striking or beating. It is particularly applied to killing in battle, but is properly applied also to the killing of a individual man or beast.
2.
To destroy.

Definition 2024

slay

slay

English

Verb

slay ‎(third-person singular simple present slays, present participle slaying, simple past slew or slayed, past participle slain or slayed)

  1. (now literary) To kill, murder.
    The knight slew the dragon.
    Our foes must all be slain.
  2. (literary) To eradicate or stamp out.
    You must slay these thoughts.
  3. (by extension, colloquial) To defeat, overcome (in a competition or contest).
    • 1956, “Giants Slay Bears in Pro Title Battle”, in Lodi News-Sentinel, 1956 December 31, page 8.
    • 1985, “Redskins slay Giants; Thiesmann shatters leg”, in The Gadsden Times, 1985 November 19, page D1-5.
    • 1993, Jack Curry, “Yanks’ Bullpen Falls Short Again”, in The New York Times, 1993 April 21:
      The Yankees were actually slayed by two former Yankees because Rich Gossage pitched one scoreless inning in relief of Eckersley to notch his first victory.
  4. (slang) To delight or overwhelm, especially with laughter.
    Ha ha! You slay me!
  5. (slang) To amaze, stun or otherwise incapacitate by awesomeness; to kill (slang sense).
Usage notes
  • The alternative past tense and past participle form "slayed" is most strongly associated with the slang sense, "to delight or overwhelm":
    1929, Harry Charles Witwer, Yes Man's Land, page 254:
    "Cutey, you slayed me !" grins Jackie, working fast. "I guess that's what made the rest of 'em look so bad — you was so good!"
  • In recent use, "slayed" is also often found associated with the other senses as well. However, this is widely considered nonstandard.[1]
  • A review of US usage 2000-2009 in COCA suggests that "slayed" is increasing in popularity, but remains less common than "slew". It is very rare in UK usage (BNC).
  • "Slain" has a current usage in newspaper headlines, as being shorter than "murdered".

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

  1. ↑ "But slayed cannot be considered established in such use. Whether it eventually becomes established remains to be seen." — Merriam-Webster Publishing Co. (1994), “slay”, in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, ISBN 0877791325, page 853

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English sleen, slayn, from Old English slēan ‎(“to strike, beat, smite, stamp, forge, sting, slay, kill, impact”), from Proto-Germanic *slahaną ‎(“to fight, strike, kill”), from Proto-Indo-European *slak- ‎(“to hit, strike, throw”). Cognate with Dutch slaan ‎(“to beat, hit, strike”), Low German slaan ‎(“hit, strike”), German schlagen ‎(“to beat, hit, strike”), Danish and Swedish slå ‎(“to knock, beat, strike”), Icelandic slá ‎(“to strike”). Related to slaughter, onslaught.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: slā, IPA(key): /sleɪ/
  • Rhymes: -eɪ
  • Homophones: sleigh, sley

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