Part 455

Chaucer.

{ Slack, Slack"en, } v. t. 1. To render slack; to make less tense or firm; as, to slack a rope; to slacken a bandage. Wycklif (Acts xxvii. 40)

2. To neglect; to be remiss in. [Obs.] Shak.

Slack not the pressage.

Dryden.

3. To deprive of cohesion by combining chemically with water; to slake; as, to slack lime.

4. To cause to become less eager; to repress; to make slow or less rapid; to retard; as, to slacken pursuit; to slacken industry. "Rancor for to slack." Chaucer.

I should be grieved, young prince, to think my presence Unbent your thoughts, and slackened 'em to arms.

Addison.

In this business of growing rich, poor men should slack their pace.

South.

With such delay Well plased, they slack their course.

Milton.

5. To cause to become less intense; to mitigate; to abate; to ease.

To respite, or deceive, or slack thy pain Of this ill mansion.

Milton.

Air-slacked lime, lime slacked by exposure to the air, in consequence of the absorption of carton dioxide and water, by which it is converted into carbonate of lime and hydrate of lime.

Slack"en (?), n. (Metal.) A spongy, semivitrifled substance which miners or smelters mix with the ores of metals to prevent their fusion. [Written also slakin.]

Slack"ly, adv. In a slack manner. Trench.

Slack"ness, n. The quality or state of being slack.

Slade (?), n. [AS. sl&?;d.] 1. A little dell or valley; a flat piece of low, moist ground. [Obs.] Drayton.

2. The sole of a plow.

Slag (?), n. [Sw. slagg, or LG. slacke, whence G. schlacke; originally, perhaps, the splinters struck off from the metal by hammering. See Slay, v. t.] 1. The dross, or recrement, of a metal; also, vitrified cinders.

2. The scoria of a volcano.

Slag furnace, or Slag hearth (Metal.), a furnace, or hearth, for extracting lead from slags or poor ore. -- Slag wool, mineral wool. See under Mineral.

Slag"gy (?), a. Of or pertaining to slag; resembling slag; as, slaggy cobalt.

Slaie (?), n. [See Sley.] A weaver's reed; a sley.

Slake (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Slaked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Slaking.] [OE. slaken to render slack, to slake, AS. sleacian, fr. sleac slack. See Slack, v. & a.] 1. To allay; to quench; to extinguish; as, to slake thirst. "And slake the heavenly fire." Spenser.