English
sludge
Sludge comes from Middle English slugge ‘lazy person’, from Old Norse slókr ‘oaf (elf's child)’, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *slakaz ‘weak, lazy’.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*slakaz‘weak, lazy’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350slókr‘oaf (elf's child)’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500slugge‘lazy person’
- Englishearliest quotation 2013sludge
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*slakaz‘weak, lazy’reconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350slókr‘oaf (elf's child)’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500slugge‘lazy person’
- Englishearliest quotation 2013sludge
Earliest quotation: 2013, High and wet: “Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state…”
Linked words
through Proto-Germanic *slakaz ‘weak, lazy’
through Middle English slugge ‘lazy person’
Today it means
noun Solids separated from suspension in a liquid.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *slakaz / sludge