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slug1

Syllabification: (slug)
Pronunciation: /sləg/
Translate slug | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of slug

noun

  • 1a tough-skinned terrestrial mollusk that typically lacks a shell and secretes a film of mucus for protection. It can be a serious plant pest. See also sea slug.
    • Order Stylommatophora, class Gastropoda
  • 2a slow, lazy person; a sluggard.
  • 3an amount of an alcoholic drink, typically liquor, that is gulped or poured:he took a slug of whiskey
    [ mid 18th century: figuratively from slug1 (sense 4 of the noun)]
  • 4an elongated, typically rounded piece or metal:the reactor uses embedded slugs of uranium
  • a counterfeit coin; a token.
  • chiefly North American a bullet, especially one of lead.
  • a missile for an air gun.
  • a line of type in Linotype printing.
  • Printing a metal bar used in spacing.

verb (slugs, slugging, slugged)

[with object]
  • drink (something, typically alcohol) in a large draft; swig:she picked up her drink and slugged it straight back

Origin:

late Middle English (slug1 (sense 2 of the noun)): probably of Scandinavian origin; compare with Norwegian dialect slugg 'large heavy body'. Sense 1 dates from the early 18th century

slug in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of slug in the British & World English dictionary