A run-down, overcrowded area of a city where poor people live in bad conditions.
Origin uncertain, possibly from 'slumber' or a dialectal word meaning 'slack' or 'loose.' First appeared in English around 1812 to describe London's poorest neighborhoods.
The word 'slum' became widely used during the Industrial Revolution when millions moved to cities for factory work but faced shocking poverty—the term itself reflects a moment when cities grew faster than housing could keep up!
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