slean

See also: sleán

English

Noun

slean (plural sleans)

1. Alternative spelling of slane

Anagrams

• leans, Elans, enals, Elsan, L'Anse, Leans, nales, slane, elans, Slane, Nales, Neals, neals, ELANs, élans, ANSEL, Ansel, lanes

Old English

Alternative forms

• sla, slan, slæan — Mercian
• sla, slæ — Northumbrian

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *slahan.

Cognates

Cognate with Old Frisian slā, Old Saxon slahan (Low German slaan), Dutch slaan, Old High German slahan (German schlagen), Old Norse slá (Danish slå, Swedish slå), Gothic 𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (slahan).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slæ͜ɑːn/

Verb

slēan

1. to hit; strike, punch
   • c. 973, Æthelwold's translation of the Rule of Saint Benedict

     Hē sċeal ġeþenċan þæt hit is āwriten, "Þām dysegan ne mæġ man mid wordum ġestīeran," and eft on ōðerre stōwe, "Sleah þīnne sunu mid ġierde, þonne ālīest þū his sāwle fram dēaðe."

     He should remember that it is written, "A fool cannot be corrected with words," and in another place, "Strike your son with a rod, and you will save his soul from death."

   • c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Matthew 26:67-8

     Þā spǣtton hīe on his ansīene and bēoton hine mid heora fȳstum. Sume hine slōgon mid heora brādum handum and cwǣdon, "Sæġe ūs, Crist, hwæt is sē þe þē slōg"?

     Then they spat in his face and beat him with their fists. Some of them slapped him [literally "hit him with their broad hands"] and said, "Tell us, Messiah! Who is it that hit you?"

2. to kill
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, the Old English Hexateuch, Exodus 9:25

     Sē hæġl slōg eall þā þing þe ūte wǣron, ǣġðer ġe menn ġe nīetenu.

     The hail killed everything that was outside, both people and animals.

3. to slaughter (an animal)
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, the Old English Hexateuch, Deuteronomy 28:31

     Man slihþ þīnne oxan beforan þe, and þū his ne ābītst.

     Your ox will be slaughtered in front of you, and you won't get to taste it.

4. (of a snake, insect, or arachnid) to bite or sting
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Greater Litany"

     Sē þrōwend is ǣtren and slihþ mid þām tæġle tō dēaðe.

     The scorpion is venomous and stings things to death with its tail.

5. to pitch (a tent)
6. to mint (coins, money)
7. to move quickly and suddenly

Usage notes

• If it is necessary to specify punching rather than another kind of hitting, the phrase mid fȳste (“with the fist”) may be added: Ġif man ōðerne mid fȳste in nasu slihþ, þrī sċillingas ("If someone punches someone else in the nose, three shillings [will be paid as compensation]") (Law of Æthelberht).

• Considering the phrases þunres sleġe (“clap of thunder”) and līeġetsliht (“lightning strike”), it is likely that lightning and thunder were said to "strike" (slēan), as in Modern English. The derived verb tōslēan was also used for this purpose.

Conjugation

Conjugation of slēan (strong class 6)

infinitive	slēan	slēanne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	slēa	slōg, slōh
second person singular	sliehst	slōge
third person singular	sliehþ	slōg, slōh
plural	slēaþ	slōgon
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	slēa	slōge
plural	slēan	slōgen
imperative
singular	sleah
plural	slēaþ
participle	present	past
	slēande	(ġe)slæġen

Derived terms

• forslēan
• ġeslēan
• ofslēan
• tōslēan

Related terms

• slaga
• sleċġ
• sleġe
• sleġel
• sliht

Descendants

• Middle English: sleen, slayn
  • Scots: slay
  • English: slay