Word of the Day

: August 19, 2023

slake

verb SLAYK

What It Means

Slake is a verb meaning "to satisfy or quench." It can also mean "to hydrate."

// The quest to slake his wanderlust was never-ending.

// They slaked their thirst with cold lemonade.

See the entry >

slake in Context

"The warm weather of late spring and summer brings certain wines to mind—racy rosés to slake our thirst, for example." — Dave McIntyre, The Washington Post, 1 June 2023

Did You Know?

Have no fear, the Word of the Day is here to slake your thirst for knowledge. The uses of slake are varied and fluid. Its most common meaning is synonymous with satisfy or quench—one can slake anything from curiosity to literal thirst. In chemistry, slake can mean "to cause a substance to heat and crumble by treatment with water," and is used specifically in the noun phrase slaked lime, which refers to a compound used in binding agents such as plaster and cement. The word has some obsolete meanings as well: in Shakespearean times, slake meant "to subside or abate" or "to lessen the force of." The most erudite word enthusiasts may also be aware of earlier meanings of slake, such as "to slacken one’s efforts" or "to cause to be relaxed or loose." These early meanings recall the word’s Old English ancestor sleac, which not only meant "slack" but is also slack’s source.