sloth

See also: slóð

English

A sloth (2)

Alternative forms

• sleuth (obsolete except for a group of bears)
• sloath, slowth (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English slouthe, slewthe (“laziness”), from Old English slǣwþ (“sloth, indolence, laziness, inertness, torpor”), from Proto-West Germanic *slaiwiþu, from Proto-Germanic *slaiwiþō (“slowness, lateness”), equivalent to slow +‎ -th. Cognate with Scots sleuth (“sloth, slowness”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /sləʊθ/, /slɒθ/

  • Audio (UK):

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  • Audio (UK):

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• (General American) IPA^(key): /slɔθ/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /slɑθ/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /slɒθ/
• Rhymes: -əʊθ, -ɒθ

Noun

sloth (countable and uncountable, plural sloths)

1. (uncountable) Laziness; slowness in the mindset; disinclination to action or labour.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 787–792:

     Who having ſpilt much blood, and don much waſte / Subduing Nations, and achievd thereby / Fame in the World, high titles, and rich prey, / Shall change thir courſe to pleaſure, eaſe, and ſloth, / Surfet, and luſt, till wantonneſs and pride / Raiſe out of friendſhip hoſtil deeds in Peace.

   • 1758, Benjamin Franklin, Preliminary Address to the Pennsylvania Almanac:

     Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labour wears.

   • 1953 April, “Arrears of Station Maintenance”, in Railway Magazine, page 217:

     Mr. Elliot's frank statement that "sloth and untidiness are indefensible" is a sign that the task will be tackled with vigour.

2. (countable) A herbivorous, arboreal South American mammal of the families Choloepodidae and Bradypodidae, noted for its slowness and inactivity.
3. (rare) A collective term for a group of bears.

Usage notes

Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins.

Synonyms

• (animal): tardigrade

Antonyms

• diligence

Hyponyms

• (animal): two-toed sloth, three-toed sloth, Australian sloth, ground sloth, pale-throated sloth

Derived terms

• forsloth
• ground sloth
• native sloth
• sloth animalcule
• sloth bear
• slothen
• slothful
• sloth monkey
• tree sloth

 

Related terms

• slowth

Translations

laziness

• Afrikaans: luiheid
• Albanian: përtesë (sq) f
• Arabic: كَسَل m (kasal)
• Armenian: ծուլություն (hy) (culutʻyun)
• Assamese: এলাহ (elah)
• Azerbaijani: tənbəllik (az)
• Basque: nagitasun
• Belarusian: ляно́та f (ljanóta)
• Bengali: আলস্য (bn) (alosśo)
• Bulgarian: мъ́рзел (bg) m (mǎ́rzel)
• Burmese: ပျင်းရိခြင်း (pyang:ri.hkrang:)
• Catalan: accídia (ca) f, peresa (ca) f, mandra (ca) f
• Cebuano: katapol
• Chichewa: ulesi
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 懶惰／懒惰 (zh) (lǎnduò)

• Czech: lenost (cs) f
• Danish: dovenskab (da) c
• Dutch: luiheid (nl) f, traagheid (nl) f
• Esperanto: pigreco
• Estonian: laiskus
• Farefare: akedia (sin of acedia)
• Faroese: dølskni n, leti f
• Finnish: laiskuus (fi)
• French: paresse (fr) f
• Galician: nugalla (gl) f, preguiza (gl) f, lacazanería f, doca (gl) f, galbana (gl) f
• Georgian: უქნარობა (uknaroba), სიზარმაცე (sizarmace)
• German: Trägheit (de) f, Faulheit (de) f, Müßiggang (de) m
• Gothic: 𐌻𐌰𐍄𐌴𐌹 f (latei)
• Greek: νωθρότητα (el) f (nothrótita), τεμπελιά (el) f (tempeliá)
• Gujarati: આળસ m (āḷsa)
• Haitian Creole: parès
• Hausa: lalaci, ragwanci
• Hebrew: עצלות f (‘atzlút), עצלנות f (‘atzlanút)
• Hindi: आलस्य (hi) m (ālasya)
• Hmong Dô: kev ua tub nkeeg
• Hungarian: lustaság (hu), tunyaság (hu), restség (hu), henyeség (hu)
• Icelandic: leti f, ómennska f, dugleysi n, dáðleysi n
• Ido: ociereso (io)
• Igbo: arafo, agara
• Indonesian: kemalasan (id)
• Irish: leisce m, aimhleisce f, búistíocht f
• Italian: pigrizia (it) f, (deadly sin) accidia (it) f
• Japanese: 怠惰 (ja) (たいだ, taida)
• Javanese: kesed (jv)
• Kalmyk: удан (udan)
• Kannada: ಸೋಮಾರಿತನ (kn) (sōmāritana)
• Kazakh: жалқаулық (jalqaulyq)
• Korean: 게으름 (ko) (geeureum)
• Lao: ຄວາມຂີ້ຄ້ານ (khuām khī khān)
• Latin: pigritia f
• Latvian: slinkums m
• Lithuanian: tinginystė m
• Macedonian: мрзеливост f (mrzelivost)
• Malagasy: hakamoana
• Malay: kemalasan, sifat malas
• Malayalam: മടി (ml) (maṭi)
• Maltese: għażż m
• Maori: māngeretanga
• Marathi: आळस m (āḷas)
• Mongolian: залхуурал (mn) (zalxuural)
• Nepali: आलस्य (ne) (ālasya)
• Norwegian: latskap m, lediggang m
• Occitan: pigresa (oc) f, peresa f
• Persian: تنبلی (fa) (tanbali)
• Polish: lenistwo (pl) n
• Portuguese: preguiça (pt) f
• Punjabi: ਆਲਸ (pa) (ālas)
• Romanian: lene (ro) f
• Russian: лень (ru) f (lenʹ), (deadly sin) ле́ность (ru) f (lénostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: a' corra-leisg f, seothaiche m, leisge f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: лењост f, лијеност f

  Roman: lenjost (sh) m, lijenost (sh) m

• Sinhalese: කම්මැලිකම නිසා (kammælikama nisā)
• Slovak: lenivosť f
• Slovene: lenoba (sl) f
• Somali: caajisnimo
• Sotho: botsoa
• Spanish: pereza (es) f
• Sundanese: hoream
• Swahili: uvivu (sw) class u/zi
• Swedish: lättja (sv) c, lathet (sv) c
• Tagalog: katamaran
• Tajik: танбалӣ (tanbali)
• Tamil: சோம்பல் (ta) (cōmpal)
• Telugu: సోమరితనం (sōmaritanaṁ)
• Thai: ความเกียจคร้าน (kwaam-gìiat-kráan)
• Tocharian B: ālasäññe
• Turkish: tembellik (tr), miskinlik (tr), uyuşukluk (tr), meskenet (tr)
• Ukrainian: лінь f (linʹ), ле́дарство n (lédarstvo), лі́нощі f pl (línošči)
• Urdu: آلسی (ur) m (ālasya)
• Uzbek: dangasalik (uz), ishyoqmaslik (uz)
• Vietnamese: lười (vi)
• Volapük: trög (vo)
• Welsh: diogi m
• Yiddish: פֿוילקײַט f (foylkayt)
• Yoruba: imẹlẹ
• Zulu: ubuvila

mammal

• Afrikaans: luiaard, luidier
• Arabic: كَسْلَان m (kaslān)
• Armenian: համրուկ (hy) (hamruk), համրագնաց (hy) (hamragnacʻ)
• Assamese: শ্লথ (sloth)
• Azerbaijani: ərincək
• Basque: nagi
• Belarusian: ляні́вец m (ljanívjec)
• Bengali: স্লথ (sloth)
• Bulgarian: лени́вец (bg) m (lenívec)
• Burmese: ဆလောက်ကောင် (hca.laukkaung)
• Catalan: peresós (ca) m
• Cherokee: ᎤᏍᎦᏃᎵ ᏲᎾᎢᏳᏍᏗ (usganoli yonaiyusdi), ᎤᏂᏍᎦᏃᎵ ᏲᎾᎢᏳᏍᏗ (unisganoli yonaiyusdi)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 樹懶／树懒 (syu⁶ laan⁵)

  Mandarin: 樹懶／树懒 (zh) (shùlǎn)

• Czech: lenochod (cs) m
• Danish: dovendyr n
• Dutch: luiaard (nl) m
• Esperanto: bradipo
• Estonian: laiskloom
• Farefare: folivora
• Faroese: letidýr n
• Finnish: laiskiainen (fi)
• French: paresseux (fr) m, aï (fr) m
• Georgian: ზარმაცა (zarmaca)
• German: Faultier (de) n
• Greek: βραδύπους (el) m (vradýpous)
• Guaraní: a'i
• Hebrew: עַצְלָן (he) m (atslán)
• Hindi: स्‍लॉथ (s‍lŏth)
• Hungarian: lajhár (hu)
• Icelandic: letidýr n
• Ido: bradipo (io)
• Indonesian: kukang (id), kungkang (id)
• Irish: spadán m
• Italian: bradipo (it) m
• Japanese: ナマケモノ (ja) (namakemono), 樹懶 (ja) (なまけもの, namakemono)
• Kashubian: zgniłozwiérz m
• Kazakh: жалқауаң (jalqauañ)
• Khmer: កម្ជិល (km) (kɑmcɨl)
• Korean: 나무늘보 (ko) (namuneulbo)
• Kyrgyz: ленивец (lenivets)
• Latvian: sliņķis m
• Lithuanian: tinginys (lt) m
• Lokono: hau
• Macedonian: мрзливец m (mrzlivec)
• Malayalam: സ്ലോത്ത് (slōttŭ)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: dovendyr (no) n

  Nynorsk: dovendyr n

• Persian: تنبل (fa) (tanbal)
• Polish: leniwiec (pl) m
• Portuguese: bicho-preguiça m, preguiça (pt) f, aí (pt), aígue, unau (Brazil)
• Romanian: leneș (ro) m
• Russian: лени́вец (ru) m (lenívec)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: лењивац m, љењивац m, типавац m

  Roman: lenjivac (sh) m, ljenjivac (sh) m, tipavac m

• Slovak: leňoch m
• Slovene: lenivec (sl) m
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: gnilawa f

• Spanish: perezoso (es) m, (Venezuela) pereza (es) f, cúcula f (Costa Rica), caimansote (Ecuador)
• Swahili: mwendapole, slothi
• Swedish: sengångare (sv) c
• Thai: สลอธ (sà-lɔ́t), สโลธ (sà-lôot)
• Turkish: tembel hayvan
• Ukrainian: ліни́вець m (linývecʹ)
• Uzbek: lenivets
• Vietnamese: lười (vi)
• Volapük: bradip (vo)
• Welsh: diogyn m

Verb

sloth (third-person singular simple present sloths, present participle slothing, simple past and past participle slothed)

1. (obsolete, intransitive, transitive) To be idle; to idle (away time).
   • 1676, John Bunyan, The Strait Gate, or, Great Difficulty of Going to Heaven‎^[1], London: Francis Smith, page 69:

     […] the most of professors are for imbezzeling, mispending and slothing away their time, their talents, their opportunities to do good in […]

   • 1677, Hannah Woolley, The Compleat Servant-Maid‎^[2], London: T. Passinger, page 2:

     That you endeavour carefully to please your Lady, Master or Mistress, be faithful, diligent and submissive to them, encline not to sloth or laze in bed, but rise early in a morning.

Further reading

• “sloth”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “sloth”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Holts, Loths, holts, loths