Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
sloth
6 dictionary results for: Sloth
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
sloth       [slawth or, esp. for 2, slohth] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.habitual disinclination to exertion; indolence; laziness.
2.any of several slow-moving, arboreal, tropical American edentates of the family Bradypodidae, having a long, coarse, grayish-brown coat often of a greenish cast caused by algae, and long, hooklike claws used in gripping tree branches while hanging or moving along in a habitual upside-down position.
3.a pack or group of bears.
[Origin: 1125–75; ME slowth (see slow, -th1); r. OE slǣwth, deriv. of slǣw, var. of slāw slow]

—Synonyms 1. shiftlessness, idleness, slackness.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
sloth       (slôth, slōth, slŏth)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. Aversion to work or exertion; laziness; indolence.
  2. Any of various slow-moving, arboreal, edentate mammals of the family Bradypodidae of South and Central America, having long hooklike claws by which they hang upside down from tree branches and feeding on leaves, buds, and fruits, especially:
    1. A member of the genus Bradypus, having three long-clawed toes on each forefoot. Also called ai1, three-toed sloth.
    2. A member of the genus Choloepus, having two toes on each forefoot. Also called two-toed sloth, unau.
  3. A company of bears. See Synonyms at flock1.


[Middle English slowth, from slow, slow; see slow.]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
sloth 
c.1175, "indolence, sluggishness," formed from M.E. slou, slowe (see slow); replacing O.E. slæwð. Sense of "slowness, tardiness" is from c.1380. As one of the deadly sins, it translates L. accidia. The slow-moving mammal first so called 1613, a translation of Port. preguiça, from L. pigritia "laziness" (cf. Sp. perezosa "slothful," also "the sloth").

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
sloth

noun
1. a disinclination to work or exert yourself 
2. any of several slow-moving arboreal mammals of South America and Central America; they hang from branches back downward and feed on leaves and fruits 
3. apathy and inactivity in the practice of virtue (personified as one of the deadly sins) 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Sloth

Sloth\, n. [OE. slouthe, sleuthe, AS. sl?w?, fr. sl[=a]w slow. See Slow.]

1. Slowness; tardiness.

These cardinals trifle with me; I abhor This dilatory sloth and tricks of Rome. --Shak.

2. Disinclination to action or labor; sluggishness; laziness; idleness.

[They] change their course to pleasure, ease, and sloth. --Milton.

Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears. --Franklin.

3. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of several species of arboreal edentates constituting the family Bradypodid[ae], and the suborder Tardigrada. They have long exserted limbs and long prehensile claws. Both jaws are furnished with teeth (see Illust. of Edentata), and the ears and tail are rudimentary. They inhabit South and Central America and Mexico.

Note: The three-toed sloths belong to the genera Bradypus and Arctopithecus, of which several species have been described. They have three toes on each foot. The best-known species are collared sloth (Bradypus tridactylus), and the ai (Arctopitheus ai). The two-toed sloths, consisting the genus Cholopus, have two toes on each fore foot and three on each hind foot. The best-known is the unau (Cholopus didactylus) of South America. See Unau. Another species (C. Hoffmanni) inhabits Central America. Various large extinct terrestrial edentates, such as Megatherium and Mylodon, are often called sloths.

Australian, or Native sloth (Zo["o]l.), the koala.

Sloth animalcule (Zo["o]l.), a tardigrade.

Sloth bear (Zo["o]l.), a black or brown long-haired bear (Melursus ursinus, or labiatus), native of India and Ceylon; -- called also aswail, labiated bear, and jungle bear. It is easily tamed and can be taught many tricks.

Sloth monkey (Zo["o]l.), a loris.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Sloth

Sloth\, v. i. To be idle. [Obs.] --Gower.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Share This:Share This: digg.comShare This: ma.gnolia.comShare This: www.stumbleupon.comShare This: del.icio.usShare This: FacebookShare This: favorites.live.comShare This: www.technorati.comShare This: furl.netShare This: myweb2.search.yahoo.comShare This: www.google.com