sleech
Thick, soft mud that was left behind by flowing water, usually alongside riverbeds or shorelines.
Noun
- Thick, soft mud that was left behind by flowing water, usually alongside riverbeds or shorelines.
- A soft, unstable mixture of mud and clay beneath Belfast, which is known for being difficult to build on.
- The physical nature and engineering properties of the sleech have made it desirable to investigate each site before piling. - 1970, Manning, P. I., Geology of Belfast and the Lagan Valley, H.M. Stationery Off., page 147
Origin
From Middle English sliche, a variant of slicche, from Old English *sliċ (“mud, sludge”), from Proto-West Germanic *sliki, from Proto-Germanic *slikiz (“mud, slush”), from Proto-Indo-European *sleyg- (“to slide, be slippery”). Doublet of slitch and sludge.
Forms
Derived
Verb
- To dip a vessel into water to fill it; to scoop up water, as with a bucket.
- To coax, cajole.