# sley

Pronunciation: say "SLAY" /sleɪ/

## Noun

1. The reed of a loom, the comb-like part that spaces the warp threads and beats each new weft thread into place.
   - Simple: The comb-like part of a loom that keeps the threads evenly spaced.
   - _She slid every warp end through its own gap in the sley._
   - _When the sley swung forward, it packed the weft tight against the woven edge._
3. The number of warp threads packed into each inch of the woven cloth.
   - Simple: How many lengthwise threads there are in each inch of cloth.
   - _A fine shirting cloth needs a high sley to keep the weave dense._
   - _The pattern called for a sley of sixty ends per inch._
4. A guiding track or channel inside a knitting machine along which a moving part travels.
   - Simple: A track that guides moving parts inside a knitting machine.
   - _A worn sley caused the carriage to stick halfway across the bed._
   - _The technician oiled the sley so the parts would glide freely._

## Verb

2. To separate the warp threads and arrange them in order through the reed of a loom.
   - Simple: To split the threads apart and set them in order through a loom's reed.
   - _The apprentice learned to sley the warp ends two at a time through the reed._
   - _Before weaving the linen, they sley the threads in the order marked on the draft._

## Origin

From Middle English 'slay', which comes from Old English 'slege'.

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