slime

[ slahym ]
/ slaɪm /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR slime ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

thin, glutinous mud.
any ropy or viscous liquid matter, especially of a foul kind.
a viscous secretion of animal or vegetable origin.
Also called slime·ball [slahym-bawl] /ˈslaɪmˌbɔl/. Slang. a repulsive or despicable person.

verb (used with object), slimed, slim·ing.

to cover or smear with or as if with slime.
to remove slime from, as fish for canning.

Origin of slime

before 1000; Middle English slyme, Old English slīm; cognate with Dutch slijm, German Schleim, Old Norse slīm

Words nearby slime

slily, slim, slim disease, slim down, slim pickings, slime, slime bacteria, slime mold, slime mould, slimeball, slimline

ABOUT THIS WORD

What else does slime mean?

What’s up, slime? Slime is slang for a (usually male) “friend,” often used as a term of address, like dude or bro.

Where does slime come from?

The slang term slime–not to be confused with the green goop of 1990s Nickelodeon fame–was popularized in 2010 by rapper Vado, and it’s used in the same way you might use bruh, homie, or, over in the U.K., mate.

Vado is a big fan of the word: he has used it in the title of five albums and throughout his lyrics. On his 2010 debut album Slime Flu, Vado used slime in the song “Snapped” to refer to his friends: “Light a 50, sit back in the cranberry 550 / My slimes with me, this chick money hungry just like Whitley.”

Vado credits, however, fellow New York rapper N.O.R.E. as the originator of the slang. Why slime? It appears just to be an idiosyncrasy, although it does follow in the tradition of negative words becoming positive in slang (cf. bad, sick, ill, wicked).

Sure enough, N.O.R.E. used slime in the title of two songs in his 2002 album God’s Favorite. In those songs, N.O.R.E. used the word as an affectionate term when talking to a friend. Specifically, N.O.R.E. calls rapper Nas slime in “Hit Me Slime,” which would technically make Nas the original slime, as this was the first use of slime in any of N.O.R.E’s albums.

N.O.R.E. also often uses slime on his social media channels and has stated that he is the inventor of the slang.

How is slime used in real life?

N.O.R.E. still remains a fan of the slang.

Other rappers have also adopted slime in the 2000s, including (outside Vado) Young Thug, who has used it in the title of albums (Slime Language) and mixtapes (Slime Season). Drake has also used slime, further helping to popularize the slang.

The non-rappers among us also use the word when giving shoutouts to the slimes in our lives.

More examples of slime:

“is it appropriate to call my girlfriend “my slime”
—@newfossilsca, December 2018

“U right down stairs slime give me some Kool aid!!!”—
—@noreaga, May 2016

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.

Words related to slime

sludge, mud, goo, gunk, mucus, mire, scum, ooze, fungus, glop

Example sentences from the Web for slime

British Dictionary definitions for slime

slime
/ (slaɪm) /

noun

soft thin runny mud or filth
any moist viscous fluid, esp when noxious or unpleasant
a mucous substance produced by various organisms, such as fish, slugs, and fungi

verb (tr)

to cover with slime
to remove slime from (fish) before canning

Word Origin for slime

Old English slīm; related to Old Norse slīm, Old High German slīmen to smooth, Russian slimák snail, Latin līmax snail

Scientific definitions for slime

slime
[ slīm ]

A slippery or sticky mucous substance secreted by certain animals, such as slugs or snails.