Slash
/slæʃ/noun
To cut or strike with a sweeping motion, or a sharp cut made by such a motion.
Did you know?English slash is believed to be a sound-symbolic or expressive word from Early Modern English, and its older relatives helped shape words for striking, whirling, and swift violent movement across Germanic languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*slah- / *slak-
“A base associated with striking, hitting, or impacting”
Old English
OE
slæscan / slæsc
“To strike or cut with a sweeping motion; a slash or stroke”
Middle English
ME
slasshen / slaschen
“To cut with a sweeping blow; a cut or gash”
16th Century
English
slash
“A sweeping cut or stroke; to cut with such a motion”
Modern English
English
slash
“To cut or make a sharp, sweeping wound; also a diagonal mark”