# slash

Pronunciation: say "SLASH" US /slæʃ/, UK /slaʃ/

## Noun

1. The punctuation mark ⟨/⟩, a forward-leaning stroke used to separate alternatives, numbers, or parts of a date.
   - Simple: A punctuation mark that looks like a leaning line ( / ), used to separate words, numbers, or choices.
   - _The editor told me to replace the slash with the word 'or'._
   - _Web addresses use slashes to separate their parts._
5. A fast, wide-swinging cutting stroke, as with a sword, knife, or whip.
   - Simple: A quick, wide cut made with a blade or whip.
   - _A single slash of the saber left a long line across the shield._
   - _The cat defended itself with quick slashes of its claws._
6. A sharp reduction in the resources given to something.
   - Simple: A large cut to money, jobs, or other resources.
   - _A deep slash in funding left the clinic struggling to stay open._
   - _Workers protested the latest round of wage slashes._
8. A deep cut or wound, such as one left by a bladed weapon or whip.
   - Simple: A deep cut in the skin made by a blade or whip.
   - _The doctor cleaned the slash running along the soldier's shoulder._
   - _Old slashes from the lash still marked his back._
13. In sports, a wide, sweeping swing of a bat or stick, as in cricket, hockey, or lacrosse.
   - Simple: A wide swing made with a sports stick or bat.
   - _The batsman's slash sent the ball racing to the boundary._
   - _A series of wild slashes failed to connect with the ball._
16. An opening cut in an outer garment, usually so that a lining or undergarment of a contrasting color or pattern shows through.
   - Simple: An open cut in a piece of clothing that shows a different color underneath.
   - _The Renaissance sleeve featured a slash that revealed crimson silk beneath._
   - _Tailors cut decorative slashes across the bodice to expose the contrasting underlayer._
17. Fan fiction centered on a same-sex romantic or erotic pairing of fictional characters. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A kind of fan story about two characters of the same sex who fall in love.
   - _The convention panel debated whether slash had reshaped mainstream fan culture._
   - _She discovered slash while browsing fan archives in college._
18. Any typographic mark resembling the forward slash ⟨/⟩, such as the backslash ⟨\⟩. *(nonstandard)*
   - Simple: A mark used in writing that looks like a slash, such as the backslash.
   - _Windows directory paths use a slash that leans backward._
   - _She wasn't sure which slash the code actually required._
21. A clearing in a forest, especially one created by logging, fire, or other violent action. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: An open space in a forest made by cutting trees or by fire.
   - _Saplings were already sprouting in the slash a year after the harvest._
   - _Hunters use the old slash as a place to spot game._
22. The loose woody debris left after logging: the branches and trimmings removed while preparing felled trees for hauling. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: The branches and bits of wood left on the ground after trees are cut.
   - _Fire crews warned that the dry slash on the slope was a serious hazard._
   - _Loggers chipped the slash into mulch instead of burning it._
24. Crude slang for the vulva, the external female genitals. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A rude slang word for the vulva, a woman's outer sex organs.
   - _She slapped him for the foul thing he said about her slash._
   - _Crude graffiti about some girl's slash covered the stall door._
25. An act of urinating; a single instance of passing urine. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: A pee, or an act of passing urine.
   - _He stopped the car so the kids could have a slash by the roadside._
   - _After three pints she badly needed a slash._
27. A deep incision in a plant that tapers to a point.
   - Simple: A deep cut made into a plant that narrows to a point.
   - _Workers cut a slash into each trunk to bleed the resin._
   - _The diagnostic slash revealed the color of the inner bark._
28. A swampy area; a low, wet stretch of marshy ground. *(dialectal, Eastern, US)*
   - Simple: A low, wet piece of ground, like a swamp.
   - _Cattle wandered into the slash and got stuck in the mud._
   - _Mosquitoes bred thickly in the coastal slash all summer._
29. A fast-growing southern pine of low, swampy ground, commonly called the slash pine. *(dialectal, Eastern, US)*
   - Simple: A type of pine tree, called slash pine, that grows in wet, swampy southern areas.
   - _A towering slash dominated the back corner of the property._
   - _Foresters favor slash for its straight trunk and rapid growth._

## Verb

2. To reduce something sharply, as with prices, costs, or staffing levels.
   - Simple: To cut something such as prices or spending by a large amount.
   - _The airline will slash fares on midweek flights this winter._
   - _City officials slashed funding for several youth programs._
4. To strike at someone or something with a blade in a fast, sweeping cut.
   - Simple: To cut someone or something with a quick, wide stroke of a sharp blade.
   - _The swordsman moved to slash his opponent across the chest._
   - _She slashed through the canvas tent with a single stroke of her blade._
7. To criticize sharply and harshly.
   - Simple: To criticize someone or something in a harsh, hurtful way.
   - _The columnist set out to slash the mayor's new plan._
   - _Early reviews slashed the production for its weak script._
10. To move quickly and violently.
   - Simple: To move very fast and with great force.
   - _Strong winds slash across the open plain during the storm._
   - _The speedboat slashed through the channel at full throttle._
11. To strike an opponent swiftly and sideways with a hockey stick, usually across the arms or legs.
   - Simple: To hit another player across the arms or legs with a hockey stick.
   - _Players who slash opponents risk a two-minute penalty._
   - _She slashed the puck carrier and drew a penalty._
12. To inflict a cutting wound with a savage stroke of a whip.
   - Simple: To wound someone with a hard, cutting strike of a whip.
   - _Overseers would slash the laborers without warning._
   - _The coachman slashed the horses across their flanks._
14. To crack a whip with a sweeping, slashing motion.
   - Simple: To swing a whip hard so it cracks through the air.
   - _Performers slash their whips to keep the act moving._
   - _He slashed the long whip over the horses' heads._
15. To cut decorative openings into a garment.
   - Simple: To cut openings in a piece of clothing for style.
   - _Tailors would slash the doublets to reveal the bright lining beneath._
   - _He slashed the hem of the dress for a frayed, modern effect._
19. To swing the bat wildly and without control at the ball.
   - Simple: To swing hard and wildly at the ball, hoping to hit it.
   - _The batsman began to slash at deliveries outside off stump._
   - _Frustrated by the slow score, he slashed at anything short._
20. To compose fan fiction centered on a same-sex romantic pairing of fictional characters. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To write fan stories about two characters of the same sex who fall in love.
   - _She has slashed for years across several different fandoms._
   - _Many fans slash purely for fun, never publishing their work._
23. To clear land (especially of forest) through violent action such as logging or brushfire, or, less often, by grazing. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: To clear land by cutting down trees, burning brush, or letting animals graze it.
   - _Pioneers slashed the bottomland before planting their first crop._
   - _Crews slash and burn the undergrowth to open new pasture._
26. To urinate; to pass water. *(slang, UK)*
   - Simple: To urinate, or pass water.
   - _He slipped behind the hedge to slash before the long drive home._
   - _Mind you don't slash anywhere near the new carpet._

## Conjunction

3. Used to introduce an alternative, standing in for 'or'. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: Used between two choices to mean 'or'.
   - _We could meet Thursday slash Friday, depending on everyone's schedule._
   - _She wanted a quiet slash relaxing weekend away._
9. Used to link two or more roles or identities that apply to the same person or thing. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: Used between two roles to show that one person is both.
   - _Her business card describes her as a designer slash photographer._
   - _The place is a bookstore slash coffee shop downtown._

## Adverb

30. Used to represent the sound or sudden action of a slashing motion.
   - Simple: Used to copy the sound or quick motion of something slashing through the air.
   - _Slash! The saber opened a line across the practice dummy's chest._
   - _The cartoon hero leapt forward, slash, and the villain's rope snapped._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A swallow or gulp of a drink.
- (noun) Urine, the liquid waste passed from the body.
- (noun) A big helping of thin, soupy food.
- (verb) To do work while splashing about in water or mud.
- (noun) In coal mining, a deep channel filled with finely broken coal, or a round or oval pocket of coal.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–24, 27, 30** — First recorded as a verb in late Middle English, with an uncertain origin. It is perhaps imitative in origin, or possibly from Old French esclachier ("to break in pieces"), a variant of esclater, which is likely a Germanic borrowing from Frankish *slaitan ("to slit, tear"). It appears as slascht in the Wycliffe Bible but is otherwise unattested until the 16th century, and its use for the punctuation mark ⟨/⟩ gave rise to its conjunctive use.
**Meanings 25–26** — Of uncertain origin. Compare Scots slash ("large splash"), possibly from Old French esclache. The slang use meaning urination is attested from the 1950s.
**Meanings 28–29** — Of uncertain origin. Compare British dialectal slashy ("wet and dirty, miry"), Scots slash ("act of walking forcefully through water or mud") and slatch ("wet and muddy place, mire"); it is perhaps related to Swedish slask ("slush"). It is often hard to distinguish from slash ("clearing in a forest").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/slash (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).