put to sleep

sleep (sliːp)
—n
1.	See also paradoxical sleep a periodic state of physiological rest during which consciousness is suspended and metabolic rate is decreased
2.	botany the nontechnical name for nyctitropism
3.	a period spent sleeping
4.	a state of quiescence or dormancy
5.	a poetic or euphemistic word for death
6.	informal the dried mucoid particles often found in the corners of the eyes after sleeping
—vb (foll by away) , sleeps, sleeping, slept
7.	(intr) to be in or as in the state of sleep
8.	(intr) (of plants) to show nyctitropism
9.	(intr) to be inactive or quiescent
10.	(tr) to have sleeping accommodation for (a certain number): the boat could sleep six
11.	to pass (time) sleeping
12.	(intr) to fail to pay attention
13.	poetic, euphemistic or (intr) to be dead
14.	sleep on it to give (something) extended consideration, esp overnight
[Old English slǣpan; related to Old Frisian slēpa, Old Saxon slāpan, Old High German slāfan, German schlaff limp]

sleep

"weak"), which is perhaps connected to the root of slack (adj.). Sleep with "do the sex act with" is in O.E.

"Gif hwa fæmnan beswice unbeweddode, and hire mid slæpe ..." [Laws of King Alfred, c.900]

Sleep around first attested 1928. Sleeping sickness as a specific African tropical disease is first recorded 1875. Sleepless is from early 15c.; sleepy first attested early 13c.

sleep

O.E. slæp from the root of sleep (v.) (cf. cognate O.S. slap, O.Fris. slep, M.Du. slæp, Du. slaap, O.H.G. slaf, Ger. Schlaf, Goth. sleps). Personified as L. Somnus, Gk. Hypnos (see somnolence). Fig. use for "repose of death" was

in O.E.; to put (an animal) to sleep "kill painlessly" is recorded from 1942. Sleep-walker "somnambulist" is attested from 1747. To be able to do something in (one's) sleep "easily" is recorded from 1953.

sleep (slēp)
n.
A natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body, in which the eyes usually close and consciousness is completely or partially lost, so that there is a decrease in bodily movement and responsiveness to external stimuli. During sleep the brain in humans and other mammals undergoes a characteristic cycle of brain-wave activity that includes intervals of dreaming. v. slept (slěpt), sleep·ing, sleeps
To be in the state of sleep.

sleep   (slēp)  Pronunciation Key  A natural, reversible state of rest in most vertebrate animals, occurring at regular intervals and necessary for the maintenance of health. During sleep, the eyes usually close, the muscles relax, and responsiveness to external stimuli decreases. Growth and repair of the tissues of the body are thought to occur, and energy is conserved and stored. In humans and certain other animals, sleep occurs in five stages, the first four consisting of non-REM sleep and the last stage consisting of REM sleep. These stages constitute a sleep cycle that repeats itself about five times during a normal episode of sleep. Each cycle is longer that the one preceding it because the length of the REM stage increases with every cycle until waking occurs. Stage I is characterized by drowsiness, Stage II by light sleep, and Stages III and IV by deep sleep. Stages II and III repeat themselves before REM sleep (Stage V), which occurs about 90 minutes after the onset of sleep. During REM sleep, dreams occur, and memory is thought to be organized. In the stages of non-REM sleep, there are no dreams, and brain activity decreases while the body recovers from wakeful activity. The amount and periodicity of sleep in humans vary with age, with infants sleeping frequently for shorter periods, and mature adults sleeping for longer uninterrupted periods. See also non-REM sleep, REM sleep.

sleep

vi.
1. [techspeak] To relinquish a claim (of a process on a multitasking system) for service; to indicate to the scheduler that a process may be deactivated until some given event occurs or a specified time delay elapses.
2. In jargon, used very similarly to v. block; also in `sleep on', syn. with `block on'. Often used to indicate that the speaker has relinquished a demand for resources until some (possibly unspecified) external event: "They can't get the fix I've been asking for into the next release, so I'm going to sleep on it until the release, then start hassling them again."

put to sleep

1. Bore utterly, as in That show put me to sleep. This hyperbolic term implies that something is so dull one could fall asleep.

2. Kill, especially as a kindness, as in We had to put the cat to sleep. This euphemism dates from the mid-1900s.

3. Subject to anesthesia, as in This injection will put you to sleep so you won't feel any pain.