Slayed

/sleɪd/ verb

Definition

Killed something (original meaning) or performed amazingly well at something in modern slang.

Etymology

From Old English 'slean,' meaning to strike or kill, related to German 'schlagen.' In the 2010s, African American Vernacular English repurposed it to mean 'absolutely crushed it' or 'did great.'

Kelly Says

This word shows how slang completely flips a word's meaning—'slayed' went from violent to fabulous, thanks to drag culture and hip-hop communities giving it new life as the ultimate compliment!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.