"muddy place," Old English sloh "soft, muddy ground," of uncertain origin. Compare Middle Low German sloch "muddy place," Middle High German sluoche "ditch." Figurative use (of moral sunkenness or Bunyan's "Slough of Despond," 1678) attested from mid-13c.
slough (v.)
"to cast off" (as the skin of a snake or other animal), 1720, originally of diseased tissue, from Middle English noun slough "shed skin of a snake" (see slough (n.)). Related: Sloughed; sloughing.
slough (n.2)
"cast-off skin" (of a snake or other animal), early 14c., slughe, slouh, probably related to Old Saxon sluk "skin of a snake," Middle High German sluch "snakeskin, wineskin," Middle Low German slu "husk, peel, skin," German Schlauch "wineskin;" from Proto-Germanic *sluk-, of uncertain origin, perhaps from PIE root *sleug- "to glide."
双语例句
1. She tried hard to slough off her old personality.
她努力告别从前的个性。
来自柯林斯例句
2. All reptiles have to slough their skin to grow.
所有爬行动物生长过程中都要蜕皮。
来自柯林斯例句
3. He was sinking into the Slough of Despond.
他那时正陷入极度沮丧的状态。
来自《权威词典》
4. He was not able to slough off the memories of the past.
