sloth

See also: slóð

English

A sloth (2)

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English slouthe, slewthe (“laziness”), 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

Noun

sloth (countable and uncountable, plural sloths)

  1. (uncountable) Laziness; slowness in the mindset; disinclination to action or labour.
    • Milton
      [They] change their course to pleasure, ease, and sloth.
    • Franklin
      Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labour wears.
  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.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

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?)

Further reading

  • sloth in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • sloth in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Anagrams

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.