Where does “slog away” come from?

slog away (English) comes from English slog, from English slug, from Middle English slugge, from Old English *sliċ, from Proto-Germanic *sliki, from Proto-Germanic *slikiz, from Proto-Indo-European sleyǵ- — to glide, smooth, spread; to smear; to creep; to...

slog away (English): to work hard at something, often for a long time and in a tedious or exhausting manner

Definitions

  1. to work hard at something, often for a long time and in a tedious or exhausting manner

Ancestry of “slog away”, step by step

slog away traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English slog

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishslogA long, tedious walk, or session of work; An...
2EnglishslugAny of many terrestrial pulmonate gastropod...
3Middle Englishsluggelazy person
4Old English*sliċ
5Proto-Germanic*sliki
6Proto-Germanic*slikiz
7Proto-Indo-Europeansleyǵ-to glide, smooth, spread; to smear; to creep; to...

via English away

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishawayFrom a place, hence; Aside; off; in another...
2Middle EnglishawayOut, away , off; Sideways, to a side
3Proto-Indo-Europeanaweg
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sleyǵ-