Etymology

slam

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Today it means: To shut with sudden force so as to produce a shock and noise. Full definition →

Middle English *slammen ← Old Norse slæma
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slam · verb, noun1

  1. Old Norse · derived fromslæma
  2. Middle English · inherited from*slammen
  3. English todayslam

From Middle English *slammen (not recorded), apparently from a Scandinavian source ultimately from Old Norse slæma, slœma (“to slam, swing a weapon, strike an object out of reach”), related to Old Norse slamra, slambra (“to slam”). Cognate with Norwegian Bokmål slamre (“to slam”), Swedish slamra (“to pound, beat, make a clatter, rattle”), Norwegian Nynorsk slamra (“to sway, dangle”).

slam · noun, verb2

Unknown and long-speculated, though perhaps at least reinforced by Etymology 1. Doublet of chelem.

slam · noun3

Compare Dutch slomp, German Schlampe.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.