# slak
## Afrikaans
### Etymology

Inherited from Dutch slak, from Middle Dutch slecke, slacke, from Old Dutch [Term?], from Proto-Germanic *slikkō.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /slak/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

slak (plural slakke)
* snail

## Dutch
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)
* IPA: /slɑk/
* Hyphenation: slak
* Rhymes: -ɑk

### Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch slecke, slacke, from Old Dutch *slekki (attested in personal names), from Proto-Germanic *slikkō, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sliǵ-ōn, from *sley- (“smooth; slick; sticky; slimy”). Cognate with Luxembourgish Schleek, German Low German Slacke, Slack (“snail”).

#### Alternative forms

* slek (dialectal)

#### Noun

slak f or m (plural slakken, diminutive slakje n)
* snail, slug (any gastropod)

##### Derived terms

* akkerslak
* huisjesslak
* keverslak
* kieuwslak
* korfslak
* longslak
* moerasslak
* naaktslak
* segrijnslak
* slakkengang
* slakkengif
* slakkenhuis
* slakkenkorrel
* tuinslak
* waterslak
* wegslak
* wijngaardslak
* zeenaaktslak
* zeeslak

##### Descendants

* Afrikaans: slak

#### References

* ↑ van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “slak1”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute

### Etymology 2

From Middle Low German slagge, whence also German Schlacke, English slag. See the latter.

#### Noun

slak f (plural slakken)
* slag (the impurities which result and are separated out when melting a metal or refining it from its ore)
* hard, molten leftovers of burnt coal and other solid fuels

### Anagrams

* klas

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Etymology

From Old Norse slakr.

### Adjective

slak (masculine and feminine slak, neuter slakt, definite singular and plural slake, comparative slakere, indefinite superlative slakest, definite superlative slakeste)
* slack (rope, sails)
* gentle (curve, slope)
* loose (ice)
* weak, feeble

### References

* “slak” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
* “slak_1” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Etymology

From Old Norse slakr.

### Adjective

slak (neuter slakt, definite singular and plural slake, comparative slakare, indefinite superlative slakast, definite superlative slakaste)
* slack (rope, sails)
* gentle (curve, slope)
* loose (ice)
* weak, feeble

#### Alternative forms

* slakk

### References

* “slak” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

## Serbo-Croatian
### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *sъvolkъ.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /slâːk/

### Noun

slȃk m (Cyrillic spelling сла̑к)
* bindweed

#### Declension
### References

* “slak”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

## Swedish
### Etymology

Inherited from Old Swedish slaker, from Old Norse slakr, from Proto-Germanic *slakaz.

### Adjective

slak (comparative slakare, superlative slakast)
* slack, not taut (of something that can be taut, like a rope or sail or hanging flag)
    Antonyms: styv, spänd
* flaccid (of a penis)
    Antonyms: erigerad, styv
* (figuratively) weak, powerless
    Hon kände sig slak i benenHer legs felt weak ("She felt untaut in the legs")

#### Declension

$^1$ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative. $^2$ Dated or archaic. $^3$ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

#### Related terms

* slakna

#### See also

* slapp

### References

* slak in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* slak in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* slak in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
* slak in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

## West Frisian
### Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *slikkō, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sliǵ-ōn, from *sley- (“smooth; slick; sticky; slimy”).

### Noun

slak c (plural slakken, diminutive slakje)
* snail

### References

* ↑ van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “slak1”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute

### Further reading

* “slak (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011