Slope
/sloʊp/noun
A slanted surface or incline.
Did you know?English slope is believed to come from a Middle English word meaning “to slip or move obliquely,” and its history is tied to the same ancient root that gave us words connected to sliding and gliding.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sleubh-
“to slip, slide, or glide”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*slupaną
“to slip, glide, or move smoothly”
Old English / Middle English
English
slopen / slope
“to move or lie obliquely; an incline”
14th Century
English
slope
“an oblique direction or slant”
Modern English
English
slope
“a slanted surface or incline”