sloth

English

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A sloth (2)

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English slouthe, slewthe, from Old English slǣwþ (sloth, indolence, laziness, inertness, torpor), from Proto-Germanic *slaiwiþō (slowness, lateness), equivalent to slow +‎ -th. Cognate with Scots sleuth (sloth, slowness).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA: /sləʊθ/, /slɒθ/
  • (US) IPA: /slɔθ/, /slɑθ/, /sloʊθ/, X-SAMPA: /slOT/, /slAT/, /sloUT/
  • Rhymes: -əʊθ
  • (file)

Noun

sloth (countable and uncountable; plural sloths)

  1. (uncountable) Laziness; slowness in the mindset.
  2. (countable) A herbivorous, arboreal South American mammal of the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae, noted for its slowness and inactivity.
  3. (rare) A collective term for a group of bears.

Usage notes

Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins (see Wikipedia article on the seven deadly sins for more details).

Derived terms

Hyponyms

Related terms

Translations

See also

Verb

sloth (third-person singular simple present sloths, present participle slothing, simple past and past participle slothed)

  1. (obsolete, intransitive) To be idle.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Gower to this entry?)

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Last modified on 19 May 2013, at 21:58