verb / noun
slough
SLUFF/slʌf/
To shed a dead or unwanted layer.
The snake sloughs off its old skin as it grows.
Etymology
The noun meant a snake’s shed skin and later a layer of dead tissue. The verb originally described tissue coming away, then extended to casting off an outer layer.
In context
the bark will just Slough off so during that time there's a lot of bark that's falling off we scoop it all up
More examples
- Dead skin sloughs away as the burn heals.
- The nurse removes slough from the wound.
- She sloughs off her worries during a long walk.
Forms
slough · sloughs · sloughed · sloughing
Similar words
- shed
- Applies more broadly to losing skin, hair, leaves, or coverings.
- discard
- Emphasizes deliberately getting rid of something no longer wanted.