Slow vs. Sloe

Slow and sloe are two words that are pronounced the same way but have different meanings and are spelled differently. They are homophones. We will look at the definitions of the terms slow and sloe, where the words come from and some examples of their use in sentences.

Slow means moving at a low rate of speed, operating at a low rate of speed, not fast, lasting a long amount of time. Slow may also be used to mean uneventful or to describe a person who is not especially quick to understand something. Slow is usually used as an adjective, related words are slower and slowest, the adverb form is slowly. Slow may also be used as a verb to mean to impede the progress of something, to reduce speed, to work less enthusiastically. Related verb forms are slows, slowed, slowing. The word slow is derived from the Old English word slaw, which means sluggish or lazy.

Sloe means the small, blue-black fruit of the blackthorn plant. This fruit is often used to flavor gin, also known as sloe-gin. The word is also seen in the term sloe-eyed, which means dark, usually almond-shaped eyes. The word sloe is derived from the Old English word slāh.

Examples

Stricter legal and regulatory scrutiny may slow mergers and acquisitions in Brazil this year, compounding the impact of a harsh recession and lingering political turmoil that is keeping buyers and sellers at odds over valuations, bankers and lawyers said. (Reuters)

Sticking to a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, vegetables and olive oil could help to slow the shrinking of the brain in old age, academics have found. (The Times)

Sloe gin has been a firm festive favourite for generations but a disastrous harvest saw trees bare nationwide and the UK has braced itself for a sloe gin drought. (The Sunday Post)

When Nicolas cuts his hand on a rock while swimming, his mother takes him to the hospital, where a sloe-eyed nurse named Stella (as in star, played by Roxane Duran) stitches up the wound and tells him he’s a good boy. (The Santa Fe New Mexican)