Etymology
Authorities are divided on whether to derive this v. from the OE or ON reflex of PGmc
*slakwjan- (cp. OS
sleckian 'to deaden, weaken, OE
gesleccan 'to weaken, disable', OIcel
sløkkva 'extinguish, put out; slake, quench'),
a causative of st.
*slekwan- (cp. OIcel pp.
slokinn 'extinguished'). The absence of palatalization of non-initial /k/ need not rule out a native etymon (GollCl, Menner and Anderson, favouring the wk. 2 causative
sleacian,
slacian 'delay, retard, slaken, relax efforts'), but there may also be an argument to be made on semantic grounds (as Bj. indicates, noting the construction
slekken fir in Orrm) for favouring an ON etymon (as well as more circumstantial evidence from distribution, see Attestation below). The OE cognate
gesleccan is only attested once, from the first part of the poem
Christ in the Exeter Book, referring to the state of those awaiting Christ: 'suslum geslæhte' (149a). It is represented in ME by the less common v.
slechen 'ease sorrow, relieve' etc., which has a N distribution in ME (with the earliest citation c1440(?a1400)
Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)), but is cited as a dial word in MnE only from the Isle of Wight (see
EDD s.v.
sletch). Bj. and
OED derive the OE v. instead from the adj.
sleac,
slæc (adj.) 'remiss, lax, sluggish, indolent, languid; slow, easy' (< PGmc
*slakwa-, cp. OIcel
slakr 'slack', OS
slak 'despondent, cowardly', OHG
slah).
PGmc Ancestor
*slakwjan-
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
sløkkva 'extinguish, put out; slake, quench'
(ONP sløkkva (vb.) (2))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
Far sløkkja, Icel slökkva, Norw sløkkva, sløkkja, Sw dial slick
OE Cognate
gesleccan 'to weaken, disable', cp. sleacian, slacian 'delay, retard, slaken, relax efforts'; cp. sleac, slæc (adj.) 'remiss, lax, sluggish, indolent, languid; slow, easy'
Phonological and morphological markers
[absence of palatalization of */k/]
(possibly diagnostic)
Summary category
CC2c
(CC3c)