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sloven

Etymology and origin of the English word sloven

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈslʌvən/[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English sloveyn,[2][3][4][5][6] probably from a Low German or Dutch source,[4] such as Middle Flemish sloovin “a scold”[2][3][4] or Middle Dutch slof “careless, negligent”,[5][6] from Middle Low German sloven “to dress carelessly”.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person of low character, a knave or rascal (about 1450 in the OED; probably before 1475 in Barnhart, in the sense of an immoral woman).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The word first appears in the Coventry mystery plays, paired with slut among insults hurled at the woman taken in adultery.[4] The sense of a lazy person is from 1523,[7] and that of a person careless of dress or cleanliness, now the main one, from 1530.[7][4] From 1771 it also meant one who works in a slipshod way.[7][6] Slovenly is recorded before 1515.[3]

Timeline

  • about 1450 – a knave or rascal.[7]
  • before 1515 – slovenly.[3]
  • 1523 – a lazy, idle person.[7]
  • 1530 – an untidy or dirty person.[7]
  • 1771 – a careless worker or writer.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person habitually careless of neatness or cleanliness, especially in appearance.
  2. A person who works or acts in a careless, slipshod way.

Adjective

  1. (rare) Slovenly.

Word family

  • slovenly
  • slob
  • slattern

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Sloven.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/sloven. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·