Dictionary

slumber en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈslʌm.bɚ/ (General-American)
• (US) audio
• /ˈslʊm.bə/ (Northern-England)
• /ˈslʌm.bə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• slŭmʹbər (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English slombren, slomren, frequentative of Middle English slummen, slumen (“to doze”), probably from Middle English slume (“slumber”), from Old English slūma, from Proto-Germanic *slūm- (“slack, loose, limp, flabby”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lew- (“loose, limp, flabby”). Cognate with West Frisian slommerje, slûmerje (“to slumber”), Dutch sluimeren (“to slumber”), German schlummern (“to slumber, doze”), Swedish slummer (“to slumber”). By surface analysis, sloom + -er.

Meanings

1. A very light state of sleep, almost awake.
   • He at last fell into a slumber, and thence into a fast sleep, which detained him in that place until it was almost night. 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC:
   • Ev’n Luſt and Envy ſleep, yet Love denies / Reſt to my Soul, and ſlumber to my Eyes. 1665 (first performance), John Dryden, The Indian Emperour, or, The Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman […], published 1667, →OCLC, Act III, scene ii, page 29:
   • Fast asleep? It is no matter; / Enjoy the honey-heavy dew of slumber. 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
2. (broadly) A very light state of sleep, almost awake. ▸ A very heavy state of sleep.
3. (figuratively) A state of ignorance or inaction.
   • Marcel Duchamp's urinal and readymades seemed in the beginning to be insider jokes or jokelike paradoxes meant to awaken people from their aesthetic slumbers. 2009, Ben-Ami Scharfstein, Art without borders: a philosophical exploration of art and humanity:
4. (as used by Magnavox clock radios, rare) The snooze button on an alarm clock.

Forms

Deriveds

slumberlike · slumbercoach · slumber room · slumberless · slumber coach · enslumber · slumberous · slumberful · slumbersome · slumberwear · slumbery · slumberland

Translations (46)

de Schläfchen (a very light state of sleep) · kmr hînişk (a very light state of sleep) · pdt Schlop (nds) (a very light state of sleep) · ru дрёма (a very light state of sleep) · ka თვლემა (a very light state of sleep) · he תְּנוּמָה (a very light state of sleep) · ka ძილი (a very light state of sleep) · pt cochilo (a very light state of sleep) · el υπνηλία (a very light state of sleep) · az mürgü (a very light state of sleep) · pt pestana (a very light state of sleep) · da blund (a very light state of sleep) · it sonnolenza (a very light state of sleep) · ckb وەنەوز (a very light state of sleep) · no dorme (a very light state of sleep) · gl soneira (a very light state of sleep) · hy նիրհ (a very light state of sleep) · eo dormeto (a very light state of sleep) · nl sluimering (a very light state of sleep) · da slummer (a very light state of sleep) · fa پینکی (a very light state of sleep) · ckb خەوەنوچکە (a very light state of sleep) · hu félálom (a very light state of sleep) · ka რული (a very light state of sleep) · gl soneca (a very light state of sleep) · es adormecimiento (a very light state of sleep) · no slumre (a very light state of sleep) · sh drijémež (a very light state of sleep) · ar سِنَة (a very light state of sleep) · pl drzemka (a very light state of sleep) · fi torkkuminen (a very light state of sleep) · el νύστα (a very light state of sleep) · it dormiveglia (a very light state of sleep) · pt soneca (a very light state of sleep) · es adormilamiento (a very light state of sleep) · sa निद्रा (a very light state of sleep) · hy նինջ (a very light state of sleep) · fr somnolence (a very light state of sleep) · sh drijȇm (a very light state of sleep) · sv slummer (a very light state of sleep) · de Schlummer (a very light state of sleep) · de Halbschlaf (a very light state of sleep) · sl dremež (a very light state of sleep) · ru сон (a very light state of sleep) · fi uinuminen (a very light state of sleep) · bg дрямка (a very light state of sleep)

slumber en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈslʌm.bɚ/ (General-American)
• (US) audio
• /ˈslʊm.bə/ (Northern-England)
• /ˈslʌm.bə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• slŭmʹbər (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English slombren, slomren, frequentative of Middle English slummen, slumen (“to doze”), probably from Middle English slume (“slumber”), from Old English slūma, from Proto-Germanic *slūm- (“slack, loose, limp, flabby”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lew- (“loose, limp, flabby”). Cognate with West Frisian slommerje, slûmerje (“to slumber”), Dutch sluimeren (“to slumber”), German schlummern (“to slumber, doze”), Swedish slummer (“to slumber”). By surface analysis, sloom + -er.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To be in a very light state of sleep, almost awake.
   • He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalm 121:4:
   • If Sleep and Death be truly one, ⁠And every spirit’s folded bloom ⁠Thro’ all its intervital gloom In some long trance should slumber on; […] 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XLII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 65:
2. (intransitive) To be inactive or negligent.
3. (obsolete, transitive) To lay to sleep.
   • slumber his conscience 1642, Henry Wotton, A Short View of the Life and Death of George Villers, Duke of Buckingham:
4. (obsolete, transitive) To stun; to stupefy.
   • Then vp he tooke the slombred sencelesse corse. 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

slumberer · aslumber

Relateds

slumber party · shuteye · doze · nap · catnap

Translations (48)

hy նիրհել (to be in a very light state of sleep) · hu szendereg (to be in a very light state of sleep) · it assopirsi (to be in a very light state of sleep) · sh drijémati (to be in a very light state of sleep) · gl adurmiñar (to be in a very light state of sleep) · no sløve (to be inactive or negligent) · es adormilar (to be in a very light state of sleep) · srn dyonko (to be in a very light state of sleep) · nl sluimeren (to be in a very light state of sleep) · it appisolarsi (to be in a very light state of sleep) · da blunde (to be in a very light state of sleep) · eo dormeti (to be in a very light state of sleep) · sv slumra (to be in a very light state of sleep) · de dösen (to be in a very light state of sleep) · ak tɔ nko (to be in a very light state of sleep) · az mürgü çalmaq (to be in a very light state of sleep) · it dormiveglia (to be in a very light state of sleep) · ro dormita (to be in a very light state of sleep) · ka თვლემა (to be in a very light state of sleep) · bg дремя (to be in a very light state of sleep) · de schlummern (to be in a very light state of sleep) · sl dremati (to be in a very light state of sleep) · es dormitar (to be in a very light state of sleep) · es estar aletargado (to be inactive or negligent) · az mürgü almaq (to be in a very light state of sleep) · hu szundít (to be in a very light state of sleep) · hy ննջել (to be in a very light state of sleep) · pl zdrzemnąć (to be in a very light state of sleep) · fi torkkua (to be in a very light state of sleep) · fi uinua (to be in a very light state of sleep) · it appalugarsi (to be inactive or negligent) · es adormecer (to be in a very light state of sleep) · uga 𐎊𐎌𐎐 (to be in a very light state of sleep) · da slumre (to be in a very light state of sleep) · de träumen (to be inactive or negligent) · pt cochilar (to be in a very light state of sleep) · fr somnoler (to be in a very light state of sleep) · ro somnola (to be in a very light state of sleep) · pl drzemać (to be in a very light state of sleep) · fi lorvailla (to be inactive or negligent) · hu szunyókál (to be in a very light state of sleep) · pt dormitar (to be in a very light state of sleep) · az mürgüləmək (to be in a very light state of sleep) · az mürgü döymək (to be in a very light state of sleep) · az mürgü basmaq (to be in a very light state of sleep) · hu szundikál (to be in a very light state of sleep) · ca ensopir (to be in a very light state of sleep) · az mürgü vurmaq (to be in a very light state of sleep)