Word of the Day

: September 10, 2009

slough

verb SLUFF

What It Means

1 : to cast off or become cast off

2 : to crumble slowly and fall away

3 : to get rid of or discard as irksome, objectionable, or disadvantageous -- usually used with off

slough in Context

"As the war advanced the armies reluctantly sloughed off such amenities as two-man tents." (Paul Fussell, Wartime)

Did You Know?

There are two verbs spelled "slough" in English, as well as two nouns, and both sets have different pronunciations. The first noun, referring to a swamp or a discouraged state of mind, is pronounced to rhyme with either "blue" or "cow." Its related verb, which can mean "to plod through mud," has the same pronunciation. The second noun, pronounced to rhyme with "cuff," refers to the shed skin of a snake (as well as anything else that has been cast off). Its related verb describes the action of shedding or eliminating something, just like a snake sheds its skin. This "slough" derives from Middle English "slughe" and is distantly related to a Middle High German word meaning "snakeskin."