sloughs

Noun (1)

slough (countable and uncountable, plural sloughs)

1. The skin shed by a snake or other reptile.
   • That is the slough of a rattler; we must be careful.
2. Dead skin on a sore or ulcer.
   • This is the slough that came off of his skin after the burn.

Noun (2)

slough (plural sloughs)

1. A marshy or muddy area.
   • "That comed - as you call it - of being arrant asses," retorted the doctor, "and not having sense enough to know honest air from poison, and the dry land from a vile, pestiferous slough.1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC
2. (Northern-US, Southern US) A type of swamp or shallow lake system, typically formed as or by the backwater of a larger waterway, similar to a bayou with trees.
   • We paddled under a canopy of trees through the slough.
3. (US, Western) A secondary channel of a river delta, usually flushed by the tide.
   • The Sacramento River Delta contains dozens of sloughs that are often used for water-skiing and fishing.
4. A state of depression.
   • John is in a slough.

See all 13 meanings of slough