slow /ˈslo/
(a.)慢的,緩慢的,遲緩的,遲鈍的,冷漠的,落後的(ad.)慢地
slow
慢
Slow, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Slowed p. pr. & vb. n. Slowing.] To render slow; to slacken the speed of; to retard; to delay; as, to slow a steamer.
Slow, v. i. To go slower; -- often with up; as, the train slowed up before crossing the bridge.
Slow obs. imp. of Slee, to slay. Slew.
Slow a. [Compar. Slower superl. Slowest.]
1. Moving a short space in a relatively long time; not swift; not quick in motion; not rapid; moderate; deliberate; as, a slow stream; a slow motion.
2. Not happening in a short time; gradual; late.
These changes in the heavens, though slow, produced
Like change on sea and land, sidereal blast. --Milton.
3. Not ready; not prompt or quick; dilatory; sluggish; as, slow of speech, and slow of tongue.
Fixed on defense, the Trojans are not slow
To guard their shore from an expected foe. --Dryden.
4. Not hasty; not precipitate; acting with deliberation; tardy; inactive.
He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding. --Prov. xiv. 29.
5. Behind in time; indicating a time earlier than the true time; as, the clock or watch is slow.
6. Not advancing or improving rapidly; as, the slow growth of arts and sciences.
7. Heavy in wit; not alert, prompt, or spirited; wearisome; dull. [Colloq.]
Note: ☞ Slow is often used in the formation of compounds for the most part self-explaining; as, slow-gaited, slow-paced, slow-sighted, slow-winged, and the like.
Slow coach, a slow person. See def.7, above. [Colloq.]
Slow lemur, or Slow loris Zool., an East Indian nocturnal lemurine animal (Nycticebus tardigradus) about the size of a small cat; -- so called from its slow and deliberate movements. It has very large round eyes and is without a tail. Called also bashful Billy.
Slow match. See under Match.
Syn: -- Dilatory; late; lingering; tardy; sluggish; dull; inactive.
Usage: Slow, Tardy, Dilatory. Slow is the wider term, denoting either a want of rapid motion or inertness of intellect. Dilatory signifies a proneness to defer, a habit of delaying the performance of what we know must be done. Tardy denotes the habit of being behind hand; as, tardy in making up one's acounts.
Slow, adv. Slowly.
Let him have time to mark how slow time goes
In time of sorrow. --Shak.
slow
adj 1: not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time; "a
slow walker"; "the slow lane of traffic"; "her steps
were slow"; "he was slow in reacting to the news";
"slow but steady growth" [ant: fast]
2: at a slow tempo; "the band played a slow waltz" [ant: fast]
3: slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity;
"so dense he never understands anything I say to him";
"never met anyone quite so dim"; "although dull at
classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly
quick"- Thackeray; "dumb officials make some really dumb
decisions"; "he was either normally stupid or being
deliberately obtuse"; "worked with the slow students"
[syn: dense, dim, dull, dumb, obtuse]
4: (used of timepieces) indicating a time earlier than the
correct time; "the clock is slow" [ant: fast]
5: so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness; "a
boring evening with uninteresting people"; "the deadening
effect of some routine tasks"; "a dull play"; "his
competent but dull performance"; "a ho-hum speaker who
couldn't capture their attention"; "what an irksome task
the writing of long letters is"- Edmund Burke; "tedious
days on the train"; "the tiresome chirping of a cricket"-
Mark Twain; "other people's dreams are dreadfully
wearisome" [syn: boring, deadening, dull, ho-hum,
irksome, tedious, tiresome, wearisome]
6: (of business) not active or brisk; "business is dull (or
slow)"; "a sluggish market" [syn: dull, sluggish]
adv 1: without speed (`slow' is sometimes used informally for
`slowly'); "he spoke slowly"; "go easy here--the road
is slippery"; "glaciers move tardily"; "please go slow
so I can see the sights" [syn: slowly, easy, tardily]
[ant: quickly]
2: of timepieces; "the clock is almost an hour slow"; "my watch
is running behind" [syn: behind]
v 1: lose velocity; move more slowly; "The car decelerated" [syn:
decelerate, slow down, slow up, retard] [ant: accelerate]
2: become slow or slower; "Production slowed" [syn: slow down,
slow up, slack, slacken]
3: cause to proceed more slowly; "The illness slowed him down"
[syn: slow down, slow up]