📉 A drop in activity 🪢 Loose part 😴 To avoid work 🪨 Coal dust 🐢 To slow down 🔧 To loosen 🪢 Loose or not tight 🦆 Wet soft land 🪟 Not strict 🌊 Calm water 🧪 To add water

to slack

9.9

To add water to lime so it heats and breaks into powder

verb
/slæk/

Archaic

: apagar la cal

To produce mortar, builders often slack quicklime by adding water.

Examples

When you slack the lime, it generates a great deal of heat.
He slacked the lime with water to make it usable.
The process to slack lime must be done carefully to avoid accidents.
You need to slack the lime before using it.
To produce mortar, builders often slack quicklime by adding water.
When you slack the lime, it generates a great deal of heat.
You need to slack the lime before using it.

Synonyms

to slake

vsto slack

Specialized

9.9

To make lime heat and break down by adding water

is the identical action but presented as an alternative form

Phrasal Verbs

to slack off

Informal

3 3.9

To become less strong or busy

to cut slack

Informal

1 5.5

Treat someone less strictly because they are having trouble

to slack up

1 5.7

Move, act, or work less quickly and with less energy

Compounds

slack water

Specialized

1 7.9

A time when a tidal river or sea is nearly still as the tide turns

slack tide

Specialized

1 7.0

A short time when the water is almost still before the current changes direction

slack Alice

Offensive

9.9

A person who is often lazy and late finishing tasks

slack suit

Archaic

6.3

A casual matching set of trousers and jacket worn for informal occasions

Surface Forms

slack infinitive

slacked past

slacked past participle

slacking present participle

slacks third person singular

Etymology

Slack in the building sense (to add water to lime) is related to the word slake, which means 'to soak' or 'quench', so to slack lime is to add water and make it crumble and safe to use.