slew

slew
I. past of slay II. variant of slough I 1b III. verb also slue Etymology: origin unknown Date: circa 1769 transitive verb 1. to turn (as a telescope or a ship's spar) about a fixed point that is usually the axis 2. to cause to skid ; veer <
slew a car around a turn
>
intransitive verb 1. to turn, twist, or swing about ; pivot 2. skid IV. noun Etymology: perhaps from Irish slua army, host, throng, from Old Irish slúag; akin to Lithuanian slaugyti to tend Date: 1839 a large number <
a slew of books
>

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Slew — Slew, imp. of {Slay}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Slew — Slew, v. t. See {Slue}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Slew — (sl[=oo]), n. [See {Slough} a wet place.] A wet place; a river inlet. The praire round about is wet, at times almost marshy, especially at the borders of the great reedy slews. T. Roosevelt. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • slew — slew·ing; slew; …   English syllables

  • slew — [1] (also slue) ► VERB ▪ turn or slide violently or uncontrollably. ► NOUN ▪ a slewing movement. ORIGIN of unknown origin …   English terms dictionary

  • slew — ☆ slew1 [slo͞o ] n. alt. sp. of SLOUGH2 (sense 4) slew2 [slo͞o] n., vt., vi. alt. sp. of SLUE1 ☆ slew3 [slo͞o ] n. [Ir sluagh, a host] Informal a large number, group, or amount; a l …   English World dictionary

  • slew — slew1 the past tense of slay slew slew 2 [ slu ] noun AMERICAN INFORMAL a slew of something a lot of something: They used the money to buy a whole slew of hotels. Fertility drugs have created a slew of medical and ethical issues. slew slew 3 [… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • slew — slew1 [slu:] v [I,T always + adverb/preposition] [Date: 1700 1800; Origin: Origin unknown] to turn or slide in a different direction suddenly and violently, or to make a vehicle do this slew around/sideways ▪ I lost control of the car and it… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • slew — [[t]slu͟ː[/t]] slews, slewing, slewed 1) Slew is the past tense of slay. 2) V ERG If a vehicle slews or is slewed across a road, it slides across it. [V adv/prep] The bus slewed sideways... [V adv/prep] A seven ton lorry slewed across their path …   English dictionary

  • slew — I [[t]slu[/t]] v. pt. of slay II slew [[t]slu[/t]] n. Informal. a large number or quantity: a whole slew of people[/ex] • Etymology: 1830–40, amer.; < Ir sluagh crowd, army, host III slew [[t]slu[/t]] v. t. v. i. n. navig. slue I IV slew …   From formal English to slang

  • Slew — *In electronics, the slew rate represents the maximum rate of change of a signal at any point in a circuit. *In motion control, particularly with application to telescopes and spacecraft, slewing is the rotation of an object about an axis. **In… …   Wikipedia

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