Etymology
Advertisement

*sleg-

*slēg-, also *lēg-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "be slack, be languid."

It forms all or part of: algolagnia; catalectic; laches; languid; languish; lax; lease; lessor; lush; relax; release; relish; slack (adj.); sleep.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Greek legein "to leave off, stop," lagnein "to lust;" Latin languere "to be faint, weary," laxus "wide, spacious, roomy;" Old Church Slavonic slabu "lax, weak;" Lithuanian silpnas "weak."

Entries linking to *sleg-

algolagnia (n.)

"sado-masochism, sexuality that fetishizes violence and pain," 1900, Modern Latin, coined in German in 1892 by German doctor and paranormalist Albert von Schrenck-Notzing (1862-1929) from Greek algos "pain" (see -algia) + lagneia "lust," from lagnein "to lust" (from PIE root *sleg- "be slack, be languid").

catalectic (adj.)

1580s, of a line of verse, "wanting an unaccented syllable in the last foot," from Late Latin catalecticus, from Greek katalektikos "leaving off," from kata "down" (see cata-) + legein "to leave off, cease from," from PIE root *sleg- "be slack, be languid." A complete line is said to be acatalectic.

updated on May 26, 2017

Advertisement
Advertisement

Dictionary entries near *sleg-

sleepy

sleet

sleety

sleeve

sleeveless

*sleg-

sleigh

sleight

slender

slenderize

slept

© 2001-2022 Douglas Harper