different between slay vs destroy
slay
English
Etymology
From Middle English sleen, slayn, from Old English sl?an (“to strike, beat, smite, stamp, forge, sting, slay, kill, impact”), from Proto-West Germanic *slahan, from Proto-Germanic *slahan? (“to fight, strike, kill”), from Proto-Indo-European *slak- (“to hit, strike, throw”).
Cognate with Dutch slaan (“to beat, hit, strike”), Low German slaan (“hit, strike”), German schlagen (“to beat, hit, strike”), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish slå (“to knock, beat, strike”), Icelandic slá (“to strike”). Related to slaughter, onslaught.
Pronunciation
- enPR: sl?, IPA(key): /sle?/
- Rhymes: -e?
- Homophones: sleigh, sley
Verb
slay (third-person singular simple present slays, present participle slaying, simple past slew or slayed, past participle slain or slayed or yslain)
- (now literary) To kill, murder.
- c. 1596-97, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act II scene i[2]:
- The Prince of Morocco:
- […] By this scimitar,
- That slew the Sophy and a Persian prince
- That won three fields of Sultan Solyman,
- I would outstare the sternest eyes that look,
- Outbrave the heart most daring on earth,
- Pluck the young sucking cubs from the she-bear,
- Yea, mock the lion when he roars for prey,
- To win thee, lady. […]
- c. 1596-97, William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act II scene i[2]:
- (literary) To eradicate or stamp out.
- You must slay these thoughts.
- (by extension, hyperbolic, colloquial) To defeat, overcome (in a competition or contest).
- 1956, “Giants Slay Bears in Pro Title Battle”, in Lodi News-Sentinel, 1956 December 31, page 8.
- 1985, “Redskins slay Giants; Thiesmann shatters leg”, in The Gadsden Times, 1985 November 19, page D1-5.
- 1993, Jack Curry, “Yanks’ Bullpen Falls Short Again”, in The New York Times, 1993 April 21:
- The Yankees were actually slayed by two former Yankees because Rich Gossage pitched one scoreless inning in relief of Eckersley to notch his first victory.
- (slang) To delight or overwhelm, especially with laughter.
- Ha ha! You slay me!
- (slang, transitive, intransitive) To amaze, stun or otherwise incapacitate by awesomeness; to be awesome at something; to kill (slang sense).
- (slang) to have sex with
- 2015 Sexual Harassment in Education and Work Settings: Current Research and Best Practices for Prevention: Current Research and Best Practices for Prevention
- The Online Slang Dictionary offers nearly 200 words referring to sexual intercourse. Many of the terms and phrases connote violence, such as: “bang,” “beat,” “chopped up,” “cut,” “hit,” “hit raw,” “hit that,” “kick it,” “nail,” “pound,” “ram,” “slap and tickle,” “slay,” “smack,” “smash,” and “spank”
- 2015 Sexual Harassment in Education and Work Settings: Current Research and Best Practices for Prevention: Current Research and Best Practices for Prevention
Usage notes
- The alternative past tense and past participle form "slayed" is most strongly associated with the various slang senses:
- Harry Charles Witwer (1929) Yes Man's Land?[3], page 254: “"Cutey, you slayed me !" grins Jackie, working fast. "I guess that's what made the rest of 'em look so bad — you was so good!"”
- In recent use, "slayed" is also often found associated with the other senses as well. However, this is widely considered nonstandard.
- A review of US usage 2000-2009 in COCA suggests that "slayed" is increasing in popularity, but remains less common than "slew". It is very rare in UK usage (BNC).
- "Slain" has a current usage in newspaper headlines, as being shorter than "murdered".
Synonyms
- (to kill, murder): kill, murder, assassinate; see also Thesaurus:kill
- (to defeat, overcome): conquer, defeat, overcome
- (to overwhelm or delight): kill, hit it out of the park
- (have sex with): coitize, go to bed with, sleep with; see also Thesaurus:copulate with
Derived terms
- foreslay
- slayee
- slayer
Related terms
- onslaught
- slaughter
- self-slaughter
Translations
References
Anagrams
- lays
Middle English
Alternative forms
- sleye, slaye
Etymology
From metaphorical usage of Old English slege, from Proto-West Germanic *slagi, from Proto-Germanic *slagiz.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?sl?i?(?)/
Noun
slay (plural slayes)
- A sley or reed (part of a loom).
Descendants
- English: sley
References
- “sleie, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-09-25.
slay From the web:
- what slayer master should i use osrs
- what slayer tasks to block osrs
- what slay mean
- what slayer master should i use rs3
- what slayer rank is tanjiro
- what slayer tasks to block rs3
- what slayer master gives the most points
- what slayer master should i use
destroy
English
Etymology
From Middle English destroyen, from Old French destruire, Vulgar Latin *destrug?, from Classical Latin d?stru?, from d?- (“un-, de-”) + stru? (“I build”). Displaced native shend (“destroy, injure”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /d??st???/
- Rhymes: -??
- Hyphenation: de?stroy
Verb
destroy (third-person singular simple present destroys, present participle destroying, simple past and past participle destroyed)
- (transitive, intransitive) To damage beyond use or repair.
- (transitive) To neutralize, undo a property or condition.
- (transitive) To put down or euthanize.
- (transitive) To severely disrupt the well-being of (a person); ruin.
- 2005, Kliatt Young Adult Paperback Book Guide
- Other girls in the foster home are eager to destroy her and get her kicked out of the place. It's a tough situation.
- 2005, Kliatt Young Adult Paperback Book Guide
- (colloquial, transitive, hyperbolic) To defeat soundly.
- (computing, transitive) To remove data.
- (US, colloquial, slang) To sing a song poorly.
- (bodybuilding, slang, antiphrasis) To exhaust duly and thus recreate or build up.
- (slang, vulgar) To penetrate sexually in an aggressive way.
Synonyms
- annihilate
- break
- demolish
- kill
- ruin
- waste
- See also Thesaurus:destroy
Antonyms
- build
- construct
- create
- make
- raise
- repair
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
Anagrams
- stroyed
destroy From the web:
- what destroys the ozone layer
- what destroyed the roman empire
- what destroys pathogens
- what destroyed the dinosaurs
- what destroyed the roman republic
- what destroyed pompeii
- what destroys red blood cells
you may also like
- slay vs destroy
- portray vs characterize
- blitz vs invasion
- substandard vs outrageous
- inelegant vs ungraceful
- calling vs cunning
- shuffle vs dawdle
- garments vs garb
- impairment vs defect
- study vs spy
- oppress vs obstruct
- barrier vs confines
- consume vs weary
- converse vs deliver
- compensation vs punishment
- pick vs occupy
- though-provoking vs titillating
- breach vs transgression
- moving vs appealing
- instigate vs exasperate