Where does “slak” come from?

slak (Swedish) comes from English slaker, from English slake, from Middle English slaken, from Old English sleacian, from Old English slæc, from Proto-Germanic slakaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)leh₁g- — weak, feeble; weak, faint.

slak (Swedish): slack, not taut (of something that can be taut, like a rope or sail or hanging flag)

Definitions

  1. slack, not taut (of something that can be taut, like a rope or sail or hanging flag)

Ancestry of “slak”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishslakerA machine that slakes, or mixes a substance with...
2EnglishslakeTo satisfy; To cool with water or another...
3Middle Englishslakento render slack, to slake
4Old Englishsleacian
5Old Englishslæclazy
6Proto-Germanicslakazslack, lax
7Proto-Indo-European(s)leh₁g-weak, feeble; weak, faint
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)leh₁g-Every word from Proto-Germanic slakazEvery word from Old English slæc
slak — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer