slough

Formssloughs, sloughing, sloughed

Pluralsloughs

1. 1
   verbintransitive

   To shed an outer layer such as dead skin, or for such a layer to come loose and fall or slide off.

   After the sunburn, the skin on my nose began to slough off.

   Old paint sloughed off the fence in long strips.

   UsageOften say it sloughs off: the skin sloughed off.

   Similarshed, peel, flake, slide

   Note
2. 2
   SLOW/slaʊ/

   nouncountable

   An area of wet, soft, muddy ground or shallow water, such as a swamp or marsh.

   Herons stood in the still water of the slough.

   When the river floods, the low woods turn into a slough.

   Similarswamp, marsh, bog, bayou, wetland

   Note
3. 3
   SLOW/slaʊ/

   tidal channelnoundialectalUSWesterncountable

   A small side channel near a river's mouth that the tide fills and empties.

   We took our little boat up the slough when the tide came in.

   At low tide the slough is just a ribbon of mud.

   Similarchannel, creek

4. 4
   SLOW/slaʊ/

   low moodnouncountable

   A state of feeling very sad and low.

   After the move, she fell into a slough of despair.

   Her friends helped her climb out of a long slough of despair.

   UsageUsually said as a slough of despair: you fall into one or climb out of one.

   Similarfunk, slump, depression, rut

5. 5
   dead tissue (sore)nouncountable or uncountable

   Soft, yellowish dead tissue that forms in a wound or sore.

   The nurse gently cleaned the slough from the sore on his leg.

   A yellow slough had formed over the wound.

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