Slay Definition

slā

slain, slaying, slays, slew

verb

slain, slaying, slays, slew

To kill or destroy in a violent way.

Webster's New World

To overwhelm, as with laughter or love.

Those old jokes still slay me.

American Heritage

To impress, delight, amuse, etc. with overwhelming force.

Webster's New World

To strike or hit.

Webster's New World

(literary) To eradicate or stamp out.

You must slay these thoughts.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Origin of Slay

From Middle English sleen, slayn, from Old English slÄ“an (“to strike, beat, smite, stamp, forge, sting, slay, kill, impact"), from Proto-Germanic *slahanÄ… (“to fight, strike, kill"), from Proto-Indo-European *slak- (“to hit, strike, throw"). Cognate with Dutch slaan (“to beat, hit, strike"), Low German slaan (“hit, strike"), German schlagen (“to beat, hit, strike (ein Schlag: a hit, a strike) "), Danish and Swedish slÃ¥ (“to knock, beat, strike"), Icelandic slá (“to strike"). Related to slaughter, onslaught.

From Wiktionary
Middle English slen, slayen from Old English slēan

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition