different between late vs slack

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le?t/
• Rhymes: -e?t

Etymology

From Middle English late, lat, from Old English læt (“slow; slack, lax, negligent; late”), from Proto-Germanic *lataz (“slow, lazy”).

Adjective

late (comparative later, superlative latest)

1. Near the end of a period of time.

2. Specifically, near the end of the day.

3. (usually not comparable) Associated with the end of a period.

4. Not arriving until after an expected time.

5. Not having had an expected menstrual period.
6. (not comparable, euphemistic) Deceased, dead: used particularly when speaking of the dead person's actions while alive. (Often used with "the"; see usage notes.)
7. Existing or holding some position not long ago, but not now; departed, or gone out of office.
8. Recent — relative to the noun it modifies.
9. (astronomy) Of a star or class of stars, cooler than the sun.

Usage notes

• (deceased): Late in this sense is unusual among English adjectives in that it qualifies named individuals (in phrases like the late Mary) without creating a contrast with another Mary who is not late. Contrast hungry: a phrase like the hungry Mary is usually only used if another Mary is under discussion who is not hungry.

Translations

Noun

late (plural lates)

1. (informal) A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place late in the day or at night.

Antonyms

• early

Adverb

late (comparative later, superlative latest)

1. After a deadline has passed, past a designated time.

2. Formerly, especially in the context of service in a military unit.

3. Not long ago; just now.

Synonyms

• (past a designated time): belatedly; see also Thesaurus:belatedly
• (formerly): erenow; see also Thesaurus:formerly
• (not long ago): freshly; see also Thesaurus:recently

Translations

Derived terms

References

• 2009 April 3, Peter T. Daniels, "Re: Has 'late' split up into a pair of homonyms?", message-ID <bdb13686-a6e4-43cd-8445-efe353365394@l13g2000vba.googlegroups.com>, alt.usage.english and sci.lang, Usenet.

Anagrams

• EATL, ETLA, Elta, TEAL, TEAl, Teal, et al, et al., leat, tael, tale, teal, tela

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?la?t?/

Adjective

late

1. Inflected form of laat

Verb

late

1. (archaic) singular present subjunctive of laten

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?la.te/

Adjective

late

1. feminine plural of lato

Karelian

Etymology

Akin to Finnish lattia.

Noun

late (genitive lattien, partitive latettu)

1. floor

Latin

Adverb

l?t? (comparative l?tius, superlative l?tissim?)

1. broadly, widely
2. extensively
3. far and wide, everywhere
4. lavishly, to excess

Related terms

• l?tus

References

• late in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• late in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book?^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English læt, from Proto-West Germanic *lat.

Alternative forms

• laite, latte, lete, leate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la?t/

Adjective

late

1. slow, sluggish, reluctant.

Descendants

• English: late
• Yola: laate

References

• “l?t(e, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

From Old English late.

Alternative forms

• lata, laite, latte, lete, læte, leate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?la?t(?)/

Adverb

late

1. slowly, reluctantly

Descendants

• English: late
• Yola: laate

References

• “l?t(e, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 3

From Old Norse lát (“conduct, demeanour, voice, sound”, literally “let, letting, loss”) (from Proto-Germanic *l?tij? (“behaviour”), from Proto-Indo-European *l?id-, *l?y- (“to leave, let”). Cognate with Middle Low German l?t (“outward appearance, gesture, manner”), Old English l?tan (“to let”). More at let.

Noun

late

1. Manner; behaviour; outward appearance or aspect.
2. A sound; voice.
   • c 1275-1499, King Alexander

     Than have we liking to lithe the lates of the foules.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

Adjective

late

1. definite singular and plural of lat

Etymology 2

From Old Norse láta

Verb

late (imperative lat, present tense later, passive lates, simple past lot, past participle latt, present participle latende)

1. to seem, appear
2. (also late som) to pretend

Derived terms

• årelate

References

• “late” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²l??t?/

Adjective

late

1. inflection of lat:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

Etymology 2

Verb

late (present tense lèt, past tense lét, past participle late, passive infinitive latast, present participle latande, imperative lat)

1. Alternative form of la

Etymology 3

From Old Norse láta

Alternative forms

• lata

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²l??t?/

Verb

late (present tense lèt, past tense lét, past participle late, passive infinitive latast, present participle latande, imperative lat)

1. to seem, appear
2. (also late som) to pretend

Derived terms

• årelate

References

• “late” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Etymology

Adverbial form of læt

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?l?.te/

Adverb

late

1. late

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /?la.t??i/

Verb

late

1. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present indicative of latir
2. second-person singular (tu, sometimes used with você) affirmative imperative of latir

Spanish

Verb

late

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of latir.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of latir.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of latir.

Swedish

Adjective

late

1. absolute definite natural masculine form of lat.

Anagrams

• leta

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slæk/
• Rhymes: -æk

Etymology 1

From Middle English slak, from Old English slæc (“slack”), from Proto-Germanic *slakaz. For sense of coal dust, compare slag.

Noun

slack (countable and uncountable, plural slacks)

1. (uncountable) The part of anything that hangs loose, having no strain upon it.

2. (countable) A tidal marsh or shallow that periodically fills and drains.
3. (uncountable, psychotherapy) Unconditional listening attention given by client to patient.
   • 1979, Richard Dean Rosen, Psychobabble (page 93)

     The counselor is directed to give his client "free attention," or "slack," performing a kind of vigil, a version of Carl Rogers's "unconditional positive regard."

   • 1983, Harvey Jackins, The Reclaiming of Power (page 14)

     We have apparently been doing this all our lives, since we were first distressed. This collection of ancient habits seems to be "energized" by the presence, or even the promise, of "slack" or free attention from any person in the situation […]

Synonyms

• (tidal marsh): slough

Translations

Adjective

slack (comparative slacker, superlative slackest)

1. (normally said of a rope) Lax; not tense; not firmly extended.

2. Weak; not holding fast.

3. Moderate in some capacity.
   1. Moderately warm.

   2. Moderate in speed.

4. lacking diligence or care; not earnest or eager.
5. Not active, successful, or violent.
6. Excess; surplus to requirements.

7. (slang, Caribbean, Jamaican) vulgar; sexually explicit, especially in dancehall music.
8. (linguistics) Lax.

Synonyms

• (not violent, rapid, or pressing): slow, moderate, easy

Derived terms

• slacken
• slack-jawed
• slackness

Translations

Adverb

slack (not comparable)

1. Slackly.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English slakken, slaken, from Old English slacian, from Proto-Germanic *slak?n? (“to slack, slacken”).

Verb

slack (third-person singular simple present slacks, present participle slacking, simple past and past participle slacked)

1. To slacken.

   • In this business of growing rich, poor men […] should slack their pace.

2. (obsolete) To mitigate; to reduce the strength of.
3. To lose cohesion or solidity by a chemical combination with water; to slake.

Derived terms

• slack off

Translations

Etymology 3

Either from the adjective in Etymology 1 or the verb in Etymology 2.

Noun

slack (plural slacks)

1. (rail transport) A temporary speed restriction where track maintenance or engineering work is being carried out at a particular place.

Etymology 4

From Middle English slak, from Old Norse slakki (“a slope”). Cognate with Icelandic slakki, Norwegian slakke.

Noun

slack (plural slacks)

1. (countable) A valley, or small, shallow dell.

Etymology 5

Probably from German Schlacke (“dross, slag”). Doublet of slag.

Noun

slack (uncountable)

1. (mining) Small coal; coal dust.
   • 1905, Colliery Engineer (volume 25, page 107)

     One of the important improvements of recent years has been attained by mixing the peat pulp as it passes through the grinding machine, with other inflammable materials, such as bituminous coal dust, or slack […]

Synonyms

• culm

Derived terms

• nutty slack

Anagrams

• calks, kcals, lacks