Etymology

slowth

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Today it means: Slow economic growth. Full definition →

Middle English slouthe ← Old English slǣwþ ← Proto-Germanic *slaiwiþō
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slowth · noun1

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*slaiwiþō“slowness, lateness”
  2. Old English · inherited fromslǣwþ“sloth, indolence, laziness, inertness, torpor”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromslouthe
  4. English todayslowth

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”).

slowth · noun2

Blend of slow + growth.

slowth · noun3

Recoinage from slow + -th (abstract nominal suffix).

Words from the same roots

Middle Englishslouthe all →

sloth

Old Englishslǣwþ all →

slothsleuth

Proto-Germanic*slaiwiþō all →

sloth

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.