Slaking

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of satisfying thirst or fulfilling a strong need ; the gradual weakening or destruction of a substance by chemical action or slow dissolving
2. Fulfilling a craving or easing thirst completely ; the chemical or physical breakdown of material over time
3. Meeting a demand or thirst effectively ; causing a material to degrade or dissolve through chemical means or reactions

Etymology: Slaking is the present participle of "slake", and the verb began as a word about slackness. Its Old English ancestor "sleacian" came from "slæc", meaning "slack" or loose, so to slake originally meant to make something slack. Thirst and fire came later: slaking a thirst is to loosen its grip, and slaking a fire is to let it go slack and die down. The chemical sense has a similar pull. Quicklime, when it is mixed with water, becomes "slaked lime", and the word's Middle English form "slaken" meant to render something slack as well as to quench. Scholars note that Old Norse "sløkkva", meaning "to extinguish", may have influenced the word, though the two are not related. Its ultimate connections are uncertain, with a possible link to Icelandic "sleikja" and German "schlecken", both meaning "to lick".

Synonyms: satisfying, quenching, relieving, appeasing, alleviating

Antonyms: dissatisfying, depriving, denying, withholding, starving