slake

[ sleyk ]

verb (used with object)

, slaked, slak·ing.

1. to allay (thirst, desire, wrath, etc.) by satisfying.

   Synonyms: relieve, gratify, quench, satisfy

2. to cool or refresh:

   He slaked his lips with ice.

3. to make less active, vigorous, intense, etc.:

   His calm manner slaked their enthusiasm.

4. to cause disintegration of (lime) by treatment with water. Compare slaked lime.
5. to moisten; wet:

   To thicken the sauce, add a tablespoon of cornstarch slaked with a little cold water.

6. Obsolete. to make loose or less tense; slacken.

verb (used without object)

, slaked, slak·ing.

1. (of lime) to become slaked.
2. Archaic. to become less active, intense, vigorous, etc.; abate.

slake

/ sleɪk /

verb

1. literary.
   tr to satisfy (thirst, desire, etc)
2. poetic.
   tr to cool or refresh
3. Alsoslack to undergo or cause to undergo the process in which lime reacts with water or moist air to produce calcium hydroxide
4. archaic.
   to make or become less active or intense

Derived Forms

• ˈslakable, adjective
• ˈslaker, noun

Other Words From

• slak·a·ble slake·a·ble adjective
• slake·less adjective
• un·slak·a·ble adjective
• un·slake·a·ble adjective
• un·slaked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slake¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English slaken, slakken, slake “to loosen, lessen, mitigate, allay, moderate,” Old English slacian, slæcian, sleacian “to slacken, lessen one's efforts,” equivalent to slæc “inactive, careless, languid” + -ian causative verb suffix; slack ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of slake¹

Old English slacian, from slæc slack ¹; related to Dutch slaken to diminish, Icelandic slaka

Example Sentences

In 2023, strong growth in crude output from the United States, the world’s largest oil producer, and other countries outside the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries helped reassure markets that there would be enough oil to slake demand.

From New York Times

To disrupt this unpleasant roller coaster of weather-inflected feelings, some people go to Hawaii or Mexico in the winter, but for those of us who don’t have that in our budgets, there are more affordable places to slake your thirst for sun.

From Seattle Times

Thousands of Tacomans, joined by rail fans from miles around, will slake their curiosity this weekend by exploring Sound Transit’s new Tacoma Link Hilltop Extension.

From Seattle Times

The Los Angeles Aqueduct is hard to spot amid the sage, but its effects are evident at dry Owens Lake, which was drained to slake Los Angeles’ thirst, and in scattered marshlands that have reverted to brush.

From Los Angeles Times

Krantz and his colleagues were keenly aware of the case of Owens Lake, about 300 miles to the north, whose tributaries had been diverted in 1913 to slake a thirsty and rapidly growing Los Angeles.

From Salon

Related Words

• appease
• assuage
• quench