slö

See also: slo, sloe, SLO, and sló

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse sljór, slær, sljár, from Proto-Germanic *slaiwaz (whence also English slow), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lew- (“slack, limp”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sløː/
• Rhymes: -øː

Adjective

slö (comparative slöare, superlative slöast)

1. dull; not sharp

   En slö kniv ― A dull knife

2. sluggish, slow, lethargic, lazy

   Han kände sig slö ― He felt sluggish

   Min dator är slö ― My computer is slow

   Slö i skallen ― Dozy (slow in the head)

   Han var slö på jobbet ― He was lazy at work

Usage notes

Both slö and lat can often be translated as lazy. Slö tends towards laziness due to lacking energy, while lat tends towards laziness out of choice. The difference can be subtle though.

Declension

Inflection of slö

Indefinite	positive	comparative	superlative1
common singular	slö	slöare	slöast
neuter singular	slött	slöare	slöast
plural	slöa	slöare	slöast
masculine plural2	slöe	slöare	slöast
Definite	positive	comparative	superlative
masculine singular3	slöe	slöare	slöaste
all	slöa	slöare	slöaste

¹ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
² Dated or archaic.
³ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Further reading

• slö in Svensk ordbok.

Anagrams

• -lös, lös, söl, öls