sloe

From Middle English slo, sla, sloo, from Old English slā, slāh, from Proto-West Germanic *slaihā, from Proto-Germanic *slaihǭ, *slaihwō, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leh₃y- (“bluish”). Doublet of Sliwa.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsləʊ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsloʊ/
• Rhymes: -əʊ
• Homophone: slow

sloe (plural sloes)

1. The small, astringent, wild fruit of the blackthorn (Prunus spinosa).
   • 1796, Erasmus Darwin, Zoonomia, or, the Laws of Organic Life, part II.I.I.III:

     There is also a dryness in the mouth from the increased action of the absorbent vessels, when a sloe or a crab-apple are masticated...

   • 1872, The Snow Queen by H. C. Andersen, translation by Paull:

     The dew-drops fell like water, leaf after leaf dropped from the trees, the sloe-thorn alone still bore fruit, but the sloes were sour, and set the teeth on edge. Oh, how dark and weary the whole world appeared!

   • 1900, Leo Tolstoy, “Twelve Years before”, in Louise Maude, transl., Resurrection: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, →OCLC, book I, page 46:

     Katúsha, with her eyes black as sloes, her face radiant with joy, was flying towards him, and they caught hold of each other's hands.

2. The tree Prunus spinosa.
3. Any of various other plants of the genus Prunus, as a shrub or small tree, Prunus alleghaniensis, bearing dark-purple fruit.

• sloebush
• sloe gin
• sloe-eyed

• Elos, elos, EOLs, ESOL, LEOs, Leos, leos, Lose, lose, OELs, selo, Sole, sole

• sloa (verb, a-infinitive)

From Old Norse slóði m.

sloe m (definite singular sloen, indefinite plural sloar, definite plural sloane)

1. a bunch of branches or small trees that one drags after one self (to haul hey, sweep away snow, or used as a break)
2. a lazy person, a good-for-nothing, a n'er-do-well

sloe (present tense sloar, past tense sloa, past participle sloa, passive infinitive sloast, present participle sloande, imperative sloe/slo)

1. (transitive) to drag
2. (intransitive) to be lazy

• “sloe” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• lose, sole