| 1 | Middle English | slear | — |
| 2 | Old English | slaga | a killer, a murderer, a slayer |
| 3 | Old English | slēan | to hit, strike, slay; to strike, beat, smite; to... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | slahan | to hit, to strike; to kill |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | slahaną | to hit, to strike; to kill |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | slak- | to hit; strike; to hit, strike, throw; to hit,... |