King James Bible Dictionary

SLACK, adjective

1. Not tense; not hard drawn; not firmly extended; as a slack rope; slack rigging; slack shrouds.

2. Weak; remiss; not holding fast; as a slack hand.

3. Remiss; backward; not using due diligence; not earnest or eager; as slack in duty or service; slack in business.

4. Not violent; not rapid; slow; as a slack pace.

SLACK IN STAYS, in seamen's language, slow in going about; as a ship.

SLACK WATER, in seamen's language, the time when the tide runs slowly, or the water is at rest; or the interval between the flux and reflux of the tide.

SLACK, adverb Partially; insufficiently; not intensely; as slack dried hops; bread slack baked.

SLACK, noun The part of a rope that hangs loose, having no stress upon it.

SLACK, SLACK'EN, verb intransitive

1. To become less tense, firm or rigid; to decrease in tension; as, a wet cord slackens in dry weather.

2. To be remiss or backward; to neglect. Deuteronomy 23:21.

3. To lose cohesion or the quality of adhesion; as, lime slacks and crumbles into power.

4. To abate; to become less violent. Whence these raging fires will slacken, if his breath stir not their flames.

5. To lose rapidity; to become more slow; as, a current of water slackens; the tide slackens.

6.To languish; to fail; to flag.

SLACK, SLACK'EN, verb transitive

1. To lessen tension; to make less tense or tight; as, to slacken a rope or a bandage.

2. To relax; to remit; as, to slacken exertion or labor.

3. To mitigate; to diminish in severity; as, to slacken pain.

4. To become more slow; to lessen rapidity; as, to slacken one's pace.

5. To abate; to lower; as, to slacken the heat of a fire.

6. To relieve; to unbend; to remit; as, to slacken cares.

7. To withhold; to use less liberally.

8. To deprive or cohesion; as, to slack lime.

9. To repress; to check. I should be griev'd young prince, to think my presence unbent you thoughts and slacken'd 'em to arms.

10. To neglect. slack not the good presage.

11. To repress, or make less quick or active.

SLACK, noun Small coal; coal broken into small parts.

SLACK, noun A valley or small shallow dell.

SLACK'EN, noun Among miners, a spungy semi-vitrified substance which they mix with the ores of metals to prevent their fusion.

SLACK'LY, adverb

1. Not tightly; loosely.

2. Negligently; remissly.

SLACK'NESS, noun

1. Looseness; the state opposite to tension; not tightness or rigidness; as the slackness of a cord or rope.

2. Remissness; negligence; inattention; as the slackness of men in business or duty; slackness in the performance of engagements.

3. Slowness; tardiness; want of tendency; as the slackness of flesh to heal.

4. Weakness; not intenseness.