slew
noun
- large undefined quantity
verb
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L333031 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /sl(j)uː/ / /slɪu̯/
noun
Etymology: Borrowed from Irish slua (“crowd”) and Scottish Gaelic sluagh (“crowd”), from Middle Irish slúag, from Old Irish slóg, from Proto-Celtic *slougos (“troop, army”), from Proto-Indo-European *slowgʰos, *slowgos (“entourage”).
- A large amount.
“She has a slew of papers and notebooks strewn all over her desk.”
“There has been a slew of documents about Scottish transport planning in recent weeks.”
- A crowd or large number of people.
verb
Etymology: Ablaut of slay, from Middle English slew, sleugh, past of Middle English sleen. Replaced earlier Middle English slough, slogh, from Old English slōg (past of Old English slēan (“to hit, strike, slay”)), due to the influence of knew, drew, etc. More at slay.
- simple past of slay