Etymology

Always derived from ON, cp. OIcel slátr 'butcher's meat, slaughter' (< earlier *slaxtra-). As Bj. noted, there are no corresponding words with formative r in the other Gmc languages, though there is an OE reflex of PGmc *slaxt-: slieht, slæht, sleaht, sleht, sliht, slyht 'stroke, slaughter, murder, death'. Cp. also manslatir (n.) and manslaʒt (n.).

PGmc Ancestor

*slaxt-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

slátr 'butcher's meat, slaughter'
(ONP slátr (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far slátur, Icel slátur, Norw slåtr

OE Cognate

cp. slieht, slæht, sleaht, sleht, sliht, slyht 'stroke, slaughter, murder, death'

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

C1

Attestation

Widespread in ME after earlier attestations in surnames at the turn of the 13c. (see MED).

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

WA 708, 3049, 4855

Bibliography

MED slaughter (n.) , OED slaughter (n.) , HTOED , HTOED , Bj. 253, de Vries slátr, Mag. slátr