: to cause (a substance, such as lime) to heat and crumble by treatment with water : hydrate
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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.
trying to slake his curiosity
a harrowing experience while mountain climbing has largely slaked my desire for high adventure
Recent Examples on the WebThe revelation may slake readers’ presumed thirst for melodrama.—Jonathan Stevenson, Foreign Affairs, 20 May 2019 This week, slake your thirst with a citrusy, refreshing white from Sicily and rosés from Provence and California.—Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 5 July 2024 Whatever the controversy, these Thanksgiving stories will slake your appetite!—JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024 Other issues, like border policy and immigration, have slaked Congress’ demand for partisan point scoring, allowing tax writers to move ahead without too much partisan squabbling.—Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 28 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for slake
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English slacian, from sleac slack
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