Slack

Slack
This interesting surname has two origins; firstly, it may be of Old Norse origin, from a topographical name for someone who lived in a shallow valley, deriving from the Northern Middle English "slack", a development of the Old Norse "slakki", or it may be a locational name from one of the places named with this term, for example near Stainland and near Hebden Bridge in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Secondly, it may be of Anglo-Saxon origin, from a nickname for an idle or indolent person, deriving from the Middle English "slack", a development of the Olde English pre 7th Century "slaec", meaning lazy, careless. Topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names in the small communities of the Middle Ages. The surname dates back to the late 12th Century (see below), and other early recordings include: Nicholas del Slac (1275) Yorkshire, and Thomas Slak (1359) in the Calendar of Letter Books of the City of London. Recordings from London Church Registers include: the christening of William Slack on October 30th 1550, at St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, and the christening of William, son of Thomas Slacke, on April 18th 1576, at St. George by St. Paul. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Gerebod le Slac, which was dated 1195, in the "Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire", during the reign of King Richard 1, known as "The Lionheart", 1189 - 1199. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Slack — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Andrew Slack (* 1955), australischer Rugbyspieler Charles E. Slack, US amerikanischer Basketballspieler Charles Roger Slack (* 1937), britischer Biochemiker und Pflanzenphysiologe Freddie Slack (1910–1965) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Slack — Slack, a. [Compar. {Slacker}; superl. {Slackest}.] [OE. slak, AS. sleac; akin to OS. slak, OHG. slah, Prov. G. schlack, Icel. slakr, Sw. slak; cf. Skr. s[.r]j to let loose, to throw. Cf. {Slake}.] Lax; not tense; not hard drawn; not firmly… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • slack — slack1 [slak] adj. [ME slakke < OE slæc, akin to Du slak < IE base * (s)lēg , loose, slack > L laxus, lax] 1. slow; idle; sluggish 2. barely moving: said of a current, as of air or water 3. characterized by little work, trade, or… …   English World dictionary

  • Slack — Slack, Slacken Slack en, v. t. 1. To render slack; to make less tense or firm; as, to slack a rope; to slacken a bandage. Wycklif (Acts xxvii. 40) [1913 Webster] 2. To neglect; to be remiss in. [Obs.] Shak. [1913 Webster] Slack not the pressage.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Slack — may refer to: *John Bamford Slack, British politician and lay preacher *William Yarnel Slack, Confederate general killed in the American Civil War *Slack (project management), a term used in project management *Slack, West Yorkshire, a village in …   Wikipedia

  • Slack — [slɛk , engl.: slæk], der; s [engl. slack = Flaute, zu: slack = locker, lose, flau] (Wirtsch.): Überschuss an [finanziellen] Mitteln eines Unternehmens, der sich in Erfolgszeiten ansammelt u. als Reserve für Krisenzeiten dient. * * * Slack  … …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Slack — Slack, Slacken Slack en, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Slacked}, {Slackened}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Slacking}, {Slackening}.] [See {Slack}, a.] 1. To become slack; to be made less tense, firm, or rigid; to decrease in tension; as, a wet cord slackens in dry… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • slack — Ⅰ. slack [1] ► ADJECTIVE 1) not taut or held tightly in position; loose. 2) (of business or trade) not busy; quiet. 3) careless, lazy, or negligent. 4) (of a tide) neither ebbing nor flowing. ► NOUN 1) …   English terms dictionary

  • slack — [adj1] loose, baggy; inactive dull, easy, feeble, flabby, flaccid, flexible, flimsy, inert, infirm, laggard, lax, leisurely, limp, not taut, passive, quaggy, quiet, relaxed, sloppy, slow, slow moving, sluggish, soft, supine, unsteady, weak;… …   New thesaurus

  • Slack — Slack, adv. Slackly; as, slack dried hops. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Slack — Slack, n. The part of anything that hangs loose, having no strain upon it; as, the slack of a rope or of a sail. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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