English

Verb

slake ‎(third-person singular simple present slakes, present participle slaking, simple past and past participle slaked)

1. (intransitive, obsolete) Of a person: to become less energetic, to slacken in one's efforts. [11^th-17^thc.]
2. (intransitive, obsolete) To slacken; to become relaxed or loose. [11^th-16^thc.]
   • (Can we date this quote?) Sir John Davies

     When the body's strongest sinews slake.

3. (intransitive, obsolete) To become less intense; to weaken, decrease in force. [14^th-19^thc.]
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter Primum, in Le Morte Darthur, book XVIII:

     wherfor the quene waxed wroth with sir Launcelot / and vpon a day she called sir launcelot vnto her chamber and saide thus / Sir launcelot I see and fele dayly that thy loue begynneth to slake / for thou hast no Ioye to be in my presence / but euer thou arte oute of thys Courte

4. (intransitive, obsolete) To go out; to become extinct.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Thomas Browne

     His flame did slake.

5. (transitive) To satisfy (thirst, or other desires); to quench; to extinguish. [from 14^thc.]
   • 1991, David Koulack, To catch a dream: explorations of dreaming‎, page 98:

     In that study, some of the subjects had dreams in which they were slaking their thirst, very much like the dreams of convenience Freud described.

   • (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare

     It could not slake mine ire nor ease my heart.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Edmund Spenser

     slake the heavenly fire

6. (transitive) To cool (something) with water or another liquid. [from 14^thc.]
   • 1961, Lawrence Durrell, Justine, p.14:

     Notes for landscape tones. Long sequences of tempera. Light filtered through the essence of lemons. An air full of brick-dust - sweet smelling brick dust and the odour of hot pavements slaked with water.

7. (intransitive) To become mixed with water, so that a true chemical combination takes place.

   The lime slakes.‎

8. (transitive) To mix with water, so that a true chemical combination takes place.

   to slake lime‎

Translations

Derived terms

• slaked
• slake trough

Anagrams

• lakes, Lakes
• LASEK
• leaks