slag

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   waste material separated from metal during smelting or refining

   A dark crust of slag floated on the molten iron.

2. 2
   noun

   waste rock or other refuse left by mining or industrial processing

   Old heaps of slag still surrounded the abandoned colliery.

3. 3
   verb

   to form, remove, or convert material into slag

   The impurities slagged as the furnace reached full heat.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Slag entered English in the mid-16th century from Middle Low German slagge, perhaps derived from slagen, “strike,” in reference to fragments produced by hammering. Its sense “refuse” led in the late 18th century to a slang term for a worthless person and, by the mid-20th century, to a derogatory term for a promiscuous woman. The verb meaning “criticize,” especially in slag off, dates from the 1950s.

Borrowed from Middle Low German slagge, 'dross or slag,' from a Germanic verb meaning 'to strike.' It probably first referred to fragments struck from hot metal, then to the glassy waste separated from ore during smelting.

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
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