slow

English Online Dictionary. What means slow‎? What does slow mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English slow, slaw, from Old English slāw (“sluggish, inert, slothful, late, tardy, torpid, slow”), from Proto-West Germanic *slaiw, from Proto-Germanic *slaiwaz (“blunt, dull, faint, weak, slack”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *sleyH-u- (“bad”).

Cognate with Scots slaw (“slow”), West Frisian sleau (“slow, dull, lazy”), Dutch sleeuw (“blunt, dull”), Low German slee (“dull, sluggish”), German schlehe, schleh (“dull, exhausted, faint”), Danish sløv (“dull, torpid, drowsy”), Swedish slö (“slack, lazy”), Icelandic sljór (“dim-witted, slow”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /sləʊ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /sloʊ/
• Rhymes: -əʊ
• Homophone: sloe

Adjective

slow (comparative slower, superlative slowest)

1. Taking a long time to move or go a short distance, or to perform an action; not quick in motion; proceeding at a low speed.
2. Not happening in a short time; spread over a comparatively long time.
3. (informal, somewhat derogatory) Of reduced intellectual capacity; not quick to comprehend.
4. Not hasty; not tending to hurry; acting with deliberation or caution.
5. (of a clock or the like) Behind in time; indicating a time earlier than the true time.

6. Lacking spirit; deficient in liveliness or briskness.
7. (of a period of time) Not busy; lacking activity.

Synonyms

• (taking a long time to move a short distance): deliberate; moderate; see also Thesaurus:slow
• (not happening in a short time): gradual; see also Thesaurus:gradual
• (of reduced intellectual capacity): dull-witted; see also Thesaurus:stupid
• (acting with deliberation): careful, deliberate, prudent; see also Thesaurus:cautious
• (behind in time):
• (lacking spirit): boring, dilatory, dull, inactive, tardy, slothful, sluggish; see also Thesaurus:inactive or Thesaurus:boring
• (not busy): quiet, unbusy

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “taking a long time to move a short distance”): fast, quick, rapid, swift; see also Thesaurus:speedy
• (antonym(s) of “not happening in a short time”): abrupt, sudden; see also Thesaurus:sudden
• (antonym(s) of “of reduced intellectual capacity”): keen, quick, quick-witted; see also Thesaurus:intelligent
• (antonym(s) of “acting with deliberation”): hasty, precipitate, prompt; see also Thesaurus:prompt
• (antonym(s) of “behind in time”): accurate, fast
• (antonym(s) of “lacking spirit”): brisk, lively; see also Thesaurus:active
• (antonym(s) of “not busy”): hectic

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

slow (third-person singular simple present slows, present participle slowing, simple past and past participle slowed)

1. (transitive) To make (something) run, move, etc. less quickly; to reduce the speed of.

2. (transitive) To keep from going quickly; to hinder the progress of.

3. (intransitive) To become slow; to slacken in speed; to decelerate.

Synonyms

• (keep from going quickly): delay, hinder, retard
• (become slow): decelerate, slacken

Derived terms

• slower
• slow down
• slow in
• slow off
• slow one's roll
• slow out
• slow up

Related terms

Translations

Noun

slow (plural slows)

1. Someone who is slow; a sluggard.
2. (music) A slow song.

Adverb

slow (comparative slower, superlative slowest)

1. Slowly.

Derived terms

• low and slow

Anagrams

• Lows, OWLs, lows, owls, sowl

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English slow.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slo/

Noun

slow m (plural slows)

1. slow waltz

See also

• quick

Further reading

• “slow”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [slow]

Noun

slow

1. genitive of slě