Aslant

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /əˈslænt/

Definitions

1. Set at a slant, this term describes something that is oriented diagonally, deviating from the perpendicular or parallel alignment
2. This word refers to an object that is tilted or sloped away from the true horizontal or vertical position
3. Positioned so as to lean diagonally rather than straight up or across

Etymology: The word is built from an old phrase rather than a single root. Middle English speakers said "on slant," meaning "at an angle, obliquely," and the "on" in that phrase is the same preposition found in modern "on." Over time the two words fused, and "on slant" became "aslant," with the "a-" acting as a prefix that marks a state or manner, much as in "afoot" or "ashore." The noun "slant" has a more uncertain past. It probably came from Old Norse "slent," meaning something like "to slide" or "to slip," which in turn traces back to a Germanic root. So the core idea is of something that has slipped out of line rather than something that was deliberately angled. The earliest form, "aslante," was used in the Middle English period to mean not only a physical tilt but also, figuratively, something done deviously. That sense of moving sideways or off the straight path is still present in the modern meaning of a tilted object.

Synonyms: obliquely, slantingly