Slow, a. [Compar. Slower; superl. Slowest.]
Etymology: [OE. slow, slaw, AS. slaw; akin to OS. sl blunt, dull, D. sleeuw, slee, sour, OHG. sl blunt, dull, Icel. sl, sl, Dan. slöv, Sw. slö. Cf. Sloe, and Sloth.]
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 more senses
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.] Dickens. Thackeray.
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 (Zoöl.), 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. -- 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.
5 other Webster entries under this spelling
Slow, obs.
imp. of Slee, to slay. Slew. Chaucer.
Slow, adv.
Slowly. Let him have time to mark how slow time goes In time of sorrow. Shak.
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. Shak.
Slow, v. i.
To go slower; -- often with up; as, the train slowed up before crossing the bridge.
Slow, n.
A moth. [Obs.] Rom. of R.
Shades of meaning
Slow signifies moving through a relatively short distance, or with a relatively small number of motions in a given time; slow also applies to that which is a relatively long while in beginning or accomplishing something; a watch or a clock is said to be slow when its indications are behind those of the standard time. Tardy is applied to that which is behind the proper or desired time, especially in doing a work or arriving at a place. Deliberate and dilatory are used of persons, tho the latter may be used also of things, as of a stream; a person is deliberate who takes a noticeably long time to consider and decide before acting or who acts or speaks as if he were deliberating at every point; a person is dilatory who lays aside, or puts off as long as possible, necessary or required action; both words may be applied either to undertaking or to doing. Gradual (L. gradus, a step) signifies advancing by steps, and refers to slow but regular and sure progression. Slack refers to action that seems to indicate a lack of tension, as of muscle or of will, sluggish to action that seems as if reluctant to advance.