sloth

[ slawth slohth ]

noun

1. habitual disinclination to exertion; laziness; indolence:

   Indifference, negligence, and sloth have no place in the classroom.

   Synonyms: idleness

2. any of several slow-moving, arboreal, tropical American edentates of the family Bradypodidae, having a long, coarse, grayish-brown coat often of a greenish cast caused by algae, and long, hooklike claws used in gripping tree branches while hanging or moving along in a habitual upside-down position.
3. a pack or group of bears.

sloth

/ sləʊθ /

noun

1. any of several shaggy-coated arboreal edentate mammals of the family Bradypodidae, esp Bradypus tridactylus ( three-toed sloth or ai ) or Choloepus didactylus ( two-toed sloth or unau ), of Central and South America. They are slow-moving, hanging upside down by their long arms and feeding on vegetation
2. reluctance to work or exert oneself

Word History and Origins

Origin of sloth¹

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English slowth; replacing Old English slǣwth, derivative of slǣw, variant of slāw “slow”; slow, -th ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of sloth¹

Old English slǣwth; from slǣw, variant of slāw slow

Example Sentences

I’ve had a thing for the slow-moving sloth ever since my first to visit the La Brea Tar Pits in the mid-1990s.

From Los Angeles Times

During his travels in Uruguay, Darwin uncovered fossils belonging to Glossotherium, also known as the “tongue beast,” another species of giant sloth.

From Salon

Given previous extinctions of megafauna such as Darwin’s giant sloth, and humanity’s inability to protect current day wildlife, it’s not clear whether valuable lessons have been learned.

From Salon

In addition to Mylodon, Darwin uncovered fossils in Argentina belonging to another giant sloth species, Megatherium.

From Salon

In 1960, it turned up in a blood sample from a sick sloth during the construction of the Belém-Brasília highway.

From Science Magazine