Origin of slough

2
1250–1300; Middle English slughe, slouh skin of a snake; cognate with German Schlauch skin, bag

OTHER WORDS FROM slough

slough·i·ness, noun slough·y, adjective un·sloughed, adjective un·slough·ing, adjective

Words nearby slough

slotted spoon, slotter, slouch, slouch hat, slouchy, slough, slough off, slovak, slovakia, slovakian, sloven

Words related to slough off

plunge, crash, collapse, tumble, dive, subside, settle, cascade, slide, plummet, swoop, slip, penetrate, disembark, trickle, dip, stumble, sink, decline, expel

British Dictionary definitions for slough off (1 of 4)

slough off
/ (slʌf) /

verb

(tr, adverb) to cast off (cares, etc)

British Dictionary definitions for slough off (2 of 4)

Slough
/ (slaʊ) /

noun

an industrial town in SE central England, in Slough unitary authority, Berkshire; food products, high-tech industries. Pop: 126 276 (2001)
a unitary authority in SE central England, in Berkshire. Pop: 118 800 (2003 est). Area: 28 sq km (11 sq miles)

British Dictionary definitions for slough off (3 of 4)

slough 1
/ (slaʊ) /

noun

a hollow filled with mud; bog
(sluː) US and Canadian
  1. (in the prairies) a large hole where water collects or the water in such a hole
  2. (in the northwest) a sluggish side channel of a river
  3. (on the Pacific coast) a marshy saltwater inlet
despair or degradation

Derived forms of slough

sloughy, adjective

Word Origin for slough

Old English slōh; related to Middle High German sluoche ditch, Swedish slaga swamp

British Dictionary definitions for slough off (4 of 4)

slough 2
/ (slʌf) /

noun

any outer covering that is shed, such as the dead outer layer of the skin of a snake, the cellular debris in a wound, etc
Also: sluff bridge a discarded card

verb

(often foll by off) to shed (a skin, etc) or (of a skin, etc) to be shed
Also: sluff bridge to discard (a card or cards)

Derived forms of slough

sloughy, adjective

Word Origin for slough

C13: of Germanic origin; compare Middle Low German slū husk, German Schlauch hose, Norwegian slō fleshy part of a horn

Medical definitions for slough off

slough
[ slŭf ]

n.

A layer or mass of dead tissue separated from surrounding living tissue, as in a wound, a sore, or an inflammation.

v.

To separate from surrounding living tissue. Used of dead tissue.

Scientific definitions for slough off

slough
[ slŭf ]

Noun

The dead outer skin shed by a reptile or an amphibian.

Verb

To shed an outer layer of skin.