: to cause (a substance, such as lime) to heat and crumble by treatment with water : hydrate
Did you know?
There is no lack of obsolete and archaic meanings when it comes to slake. Shakespearean scholars may know that in the Bard's day slake meant "to subside or abate" ("No flood by raining slaketh ...." — The Rape of Lucrece) or "to lessen the force of" ("It could not slake mine ire, nor ease my heart." — Henry VI, Part 3). The most erudite word enthusiasts may also be aware of earlier meanings of slake, such as "to slacken one's efforts" or "to cause to be relaxed or loose." These early meanings recall the word's Old English ancestor sleac, which not only meant "slack" but is also the source of that modern term.
trying to slake his curiosity a harrowing experience while mountain climbing has largely slaked my desire for high adventure
Recent Examples on the WebA1A Ale Works, Ancient City Brewing and Dog Rose Brewing are among those that slake the thirst of downtown St. Augustine explorers today. Kerry J. Byrne, Fox News, 8 Sep. 2022 And each day, another Wordle to slake my thirst for puzzles. Erik Kain, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 But even an inch of water could slake the thirst of a few of her cows and maybe some wild elk and deer, too. Erin Patrick O'connor, Washington Post, 14 May 2022 Others bore enough Heineken beer to slake the thirst of every adult in San Francisco for a year.New York Times, 31 Mar. 2022 Luckily for those of us who are fired up about the discovery of the Endurance shipwreck, there is plenty to read and watch to slake our thirst for polar adventure and suffering. Eva Holland, Outside Online, 30 Mar. 2022 New Englanders are blessed with abundant rainfall most years, enough to soak our soils and to slake our thirsts. Jon Gorey, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Mar. 2022 Among the film’s most piercing scenes are a couple of doozies set in the local watering hole, where Leslie gravitates to slake her thirst and to escape the judgment of her grudging hosts. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2022 That a bunch of boys will insincerely avalanche into girls sports in order to gain some competitive advantage, to slake some hearty thirst for winning? Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Feb. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English slacian, from sleac slack