sleech

Etymology

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.

Why this word is great

SLEECH — [Noun, Verb] Thick, soft mud deposited by flowing water, especially along riverbeds or shorelines; to scoop up water or to coax gently. 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"). Unlike "sludge" (which implies thicker, more viscous waste, often industrial or polluted) or "ooze" (which suggests a slow, passive flow of fine sediment), sleech is the natural, yielding muck of riverbanks and tidal flats. It is the sucking sound of a boot pulled free, the glistening furrows left by retreating waves, or the way a child’s fingers sink effortlessly into the cool, wet earth—soft as memory, treacherous as time.

noun

  1. Thick, soft mud that was left behind by flowing water, usually alongside riverbeds or shorelines.
  2. 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.”

verb

  1. To dip a vessel into water to fill it; to scoop up water, as with a bucket.
  2. To coax, cajole.