Third person singular present of slow; reduces speed or rate of activity. Makes or becomes less fast or active.
From Old English 'slāw' meaning 'sluggish' or 'inactive', related to Old Norse 'slǣr' meaning 'blunt'. The verb form developed from the adjective in Middle English, following the common pattern of adjectives becoming verbs.
The word 'slow' originally meant 'mentally dull' before it meant 'not fast' - calling someone 'slow' was an insult about intelligence long before it described physical speed. This semantic shift shows how concepts of mental and physical quickness became interlinked in human thinking.
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