slime en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /slɑem/ (Australia)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /slaɪm/ (New-Zealand)
- /slaɪm/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- [slɑe̯m] (New-Zealand)
- slīm
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sley- Proto-Germanic *slīmą Old English slīm English slime From Middle English slime, slyme, slim, slym, from Old English slīm, from Proto-West Germanic *slīm, from Proto-Germanic *slīmą, from Proto-Indo-European *sley- (“smooth; slick; sticky; slimy”). Cognates include Saterland Frisian Sliem, Dutch slijm, German Schleim (“mucus, slime”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk slim, Swedish slem, Faroese and Icelandic slím (“slime”), Latin limus (“mud”), Ancient Greek λίμνη (límnē, “marsh”). The slang sense of "to murder" spread among Black communites throughout the 2010s and gained prominence on TikTok around 2021.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) Soft, moist earth or clay, having an adhesive quality; viscous mud; any substance of a dirty nature, that is moist, soft, and adhesive; bitumen; mud containing metallic ore, obtained in the preparatory dressing.
As it [the Nile] ebbs, the seedsman / Upon the slime and ooze scatters his grain.
c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii]:
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(countable, uncountable) Any mucilaginous substance; or a mucus-like substance which exudes from the bodies of certain animals, such as snails or slugs.
You ſhould rub your Teeth and whole Mouth and Gums, the Pallate and Tongue, with a clean courſe cloth, rubbing off the ſlime which groweth upon them in the night.
1680, T. K., The Kitchin-Phyſician; Or, a Guide for Good-Housewives in Maintaining Their Families in Health. […] , How to cleanſe the Teeth, and keep them ſound, page 44:
- (countable, uncountable) Synonym of flubber (“kind of rubbery polymer”).
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(countable, derogatory, informal, uncountable) A sneaky, unethical person; a slimeball.
"What about that, you slime?"
1980, Richard Louis Newmann, Siege of Orbitor, page xvii. 78:If this guy knows who killed Robert, the right thing to do is to tell the police. If he doesn't know, really, then he's an opportunistic slime. It's still blackmail.
2005, G. E. Nordell, Backlot Requiem: A Rick Walker Mystery:
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(countable, uncountable) A monster having the form of a slimy blob.
This is a nameless blue slime, drawn by Chris Hildenbrand, for a role playing game (RPG) that was never released.
2006, Lawrence Wright, Character Design for Mobile Devices, Gulf Professional Publishing, →ISBN, page 8:
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(countable, figuratively, obsolete, uncountable) Human flesh, seen disparagingly; mere human form.
[…] th'eternall Lord in fleshly slime / Enwombed was, from wretched Adams line / To purge away the guilt of sinfull crime […]
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
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(countable, obsolete, uncountable) Jew’s slime (bitumen).
And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 11:3:
- (countable, qualifier:African-American Vernacular, slang, uncountable) A friend; a homie.
- (countable, slang, uncountable, vulgar) Semen.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| slimes | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
slime mould · white slime · slimer · slimebag · reslime · slimeway · slimebucket · slime table · slimehead · slime mold · anode slime · slime eel · scrambled egg slime mold · pink-slime journalism · pink slime · slimeface · deslime · slime bacteria · antislime · beslime · butter slime · slime tutorial · slug slime · New York Slimes · slimicide · chocolate tube slime · slime flux · slimeball · cloud slime · slimeless · slimish · slimehole · slimy · slimelike · slimewad · Muslime · dog vomit slime mold · slime sponge · slime lily
Descendants
Hyponyms
Synonyms
Translations (138)
mk слуз (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · hu nyálka (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · pt geleca (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · haw wale (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · pl muł (mud) · et lima (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · fr boue (mud) · wa glaire (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · ko 오니 (mud) · da slim (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · ru шлам (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · gl baba (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · gag batak (mud) · gl borba (mud) · es lama (mud) · nb slim (mud) · ja 滑り (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · wa glimon (mud) · eo muko (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · ca bava (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · gl untullo (mud) · es tarquín (mud) · th โคลน (mud) · scn muccu (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · gl mormo (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · pt lodo (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · uk слиз (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · ja スライム (fantasy monster) · lt gleivės (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · la vīrus (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · haw walewale (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · grc ἰλύς (mud) · eu elder (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · scn fangu (mud) · ru ме́сиво (mud) · ru жи́жа (mud) · ca llim (mud) · bg ле́пкава кал (mud) · lv gļotas (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · it poltiglia (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · gl vasa (mud) · vi nhớt (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · ca llot (mud) · tr balçık (mud) · ko 슬라임 (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · fi lieju (mud) · orv илъ (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · sv slem (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · sk sliz (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · nl slijm (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · cs sliz (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · ota بالچق (mud) · tl alabwab (mud) · gl goldro (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · sl sluz (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · pl śluz (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · pt limo (mud) · gl limo (mud) · es limo (mud) · is slím (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · nds Sliem (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · mi hūwareware (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · gl garro (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · gd clàbar (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · cy llysnafedd (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · ja スライム (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · be слізь (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · ja ぬめり (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · grc γλίνη (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · fa لغزناک (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · ota چامور (mud) · eo ŝlimo (mud) · ja ヘドロ (mud) · uk глей (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · scn lippu (mud) · bg ти́ня (mud) · es moco (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · trk-oat بلچق (mud) · gl label (mud) · scn vava (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · fa لزج (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · mn салс (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · it melma (mud) · eo bavo (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · fa لجن (mud) · ro mucus (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · as বিজল (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · sm vavale (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · hu iszap (mud) · uk шлам (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · th โคลน (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · gag mıl (mud) · gl limo (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · gl verdello (mud) · es fango (mud) · de Schleim (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · fa لیزابه (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · pdt Schliem (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · rar vare (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · ka ლორწო (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · mi ware (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · es légamo (mud) · th เลน (mud) · bg слуз (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · be шлам (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · gl lama (mud) · es baba (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · it fanghiglia (mud) · sh slȗz (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · pl szlam (mud) · fa لجن (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · io slamo (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · ale qiqix̂ (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · es pecina (mud) · uk мул (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · pt gosma (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · gl verdoia (mud) · ty vare (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · ru шлам (mud) · fr glaire (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · he רִיר (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · sv slam (mud) · ka ტალახი (mud) · ru ил (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · tl banlik (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · th เลน (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · es cieno (mud) · km រំអិល (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · la līmus (mud) · th เมือก (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · gag çamur (mud) · nn slim (mud) · ru слизь (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · fa لغزان (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · sh слу̑з (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · cmn 淤泥 (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance) · ru ил (mud) · fi lima (mucilaginous substance or mucus-like substance)