slaught

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*slek-“to beat, pound”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*slahtō
3. Old English · inherited fromsliht
4. Middle English · inherited fromslaught
5. English todayslaught

From Middle English slaught, slagt, slaȝt, from Old English sliht, sleaht, sleht, slieht (“a stroke, a striking, a flash of lightning, slaughter, murder, death by violence, the deadly stroke of disease, battle, what is to be killed, animals for slaughter”), from Proto-Germanic *slahtō, *slahtiz (“beating, hitting, killing, murder”), from Proto-Indo-European *slek- (“to beat, pound”). Cognate with Dutch slacht (“slaughter”), German Schlacht (“killing, battle”), Swedish slakt (“slaughter”), Icelandic slátta (“slaughter”). Related to English slay.

Words from the same roots