Slew
/sluː/noun
A large number or sudden mass; as a verb, to turn or twist sharply.
Did you know?Slew is historically tied to an old Germanic root meaning to slip, slide, or slither, which is why it can still feel like something suddenly moving out of control.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*slēan / *slēwaz
“to strike, move, or slip; forms in this family carried senses of striking and gliding”
Old English
OE
slēaw
“slow, sluggish, inactive”
Middle English
ME
slew
“slow, lazy, or sluggish; later also a past tense form of slay”
Modern English
English
slew
“a large number; also the past tense of slay in some dialectal or historical use”