English word origin

Etymology of slop

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *slewbʰ- Proto-Germanic *slup-? Old English *slop Middle English slop English slop From Middle English slop, sloppe, slope, from Old English *slop (found in oferslop (“an outergarment,

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A loose outer garment; a jacket or overall. · A flip-flop.

adj

Being or relating to slops (cheap or ready-made clothing).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionslopenm
Inherited-form mention*slopang
Cognate mentionsloppuris

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:slop<ety:inh<ang:*slop<ety:inh<gem-pro:*slup-<unc><ety:inh<ine-pro:*slewbʰ->>>>>>",
        "id": "clothing",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *slewbʰ-\nProto-Germanic *slup-?\nOld English *slop\nMiddle English slop\nEnglish slop\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*slup-\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"*slop\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"slop\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"slop\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"clothing\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"slop\" id=\"English:_clothing\">"
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "slop"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English slop"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*slop"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *slop"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "sloppur",
        "3": "",
        "4": "a long, loose gown"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic sloppur (“a long, loose gown”)"
    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:slop<ety:inh<ang:*slop<ety:inh<gem-pro:*slup-<unc><ety:inh<ine-pro:*slewbʰ->>>>>>",
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      },
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    }
  ],
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    [
      "*slewbʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/slewbʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "*slup-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/slup-"
    ],
    [
      "*slop",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/slop"
    ],
    [
      "slop",
      "slop#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "slop",
      "slop#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "sloppe",
      "sloppe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "slope",
      "slope#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*slop",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/slop"
    ],
    [
      "oferslop",
      "oferslop#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "sloppur",
      "sloppur#Icelandic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A loose outer garment; a jacket or overall.",
        "A flip-flop."
      ],
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        "obsolete",
        "South-Africa",
        "in-plural"
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    },
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To spill or dump liquid upon; to soil with a spilled liquid. · In a game of pool or snooker, to pocket a ball by accident; in billiards, to make an ill-considered shot. · To feed pigs. · To make one's way through soggy terrain.

noun

Any semisolid substance; goo, paste, pulp. · Soft, liquid mud or snow. · Liquid carelessly spilled upon a surface; a soiled spot. · Any inferior, weak, or unappetizing drink or semi-liquid food.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Old English slyppe Old English *sloppe Middle English *sloppe? English slop Probably from Middle English *sloppe (attested in plural form sloppes), representing Old English *sloppe (attested in cūsloppe), alternative form of Old English slyppe. Related to slip.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mention*sloppeenm
Inherited-form mention*sloppeang
Inherited-form mentionslyppeang

This page abbreviates 7 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:*sloppe<ety:inh<ang:*sloppe>><unc>",
        "id": "trash",
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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "*sloppe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *sloppe"
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        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*sloppe"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *sloppe"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
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        "2": "ang",
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      },
      "expansion": "Old English slyppe"
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      "name": "etymon",
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        "id": "trash",
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      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nOld English slyppe\nOld English *sloppe\nMiddle English *sloppe?\nEnglish slop"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "slyppe",
      "slyppe#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*sloppe",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/sloppe"
    ],
    [
      "*sloppe",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/sloppe"
    ],
    [
      "*sloppe",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/sloppe"
    ],
    [
      "sloppes",
      "sloppes#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*sloppe",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/sloppe"
    ],
    [
      "cūsloppe",
      "cusloppe#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "slyppe",
      "slyppe#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "slip",
      "slip#English"
    ]
  ],
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        "To spill or dump liquid upon; to soil with a spilled liquid.",
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

A policeman.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Alteration of ecilop, back slang for police.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for slop →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c2xvcA