▪ I. slive, n.
(slaɪv)
Also 6 sliue.
[f. slive v.1]
1. A piece cut off; a slice. Now dial.
| 1577 Frampton Joyful News iii. (1596) 103 This fruit..being so grated they put it into a sliue of palme. 1668 Wilkins Real Char. 37 Shread, snip, slive, slice, collop, cut. a 1800 Pegge Suppl. Grose s.v., A slive off a cut loaf will not be missed. 1854– in dial. glossaries (Yks., Northampt., Leic., Warw.). |
† 2. A cut, a stroke. Obs. rare.
| 1589 Nashe Martin Marprelate Wks. (Grosart) I. 138 You brag you haue giuen M. D. Bancroft such a sliue ouer the shoulders, as the credite of hys Chaplenship shall not recouer. 1747 Pococke Journ. Scot. (1887) 1 He gave me such a slive as a dog that has done some mischief. |
▪ II. slive, v.1 Now dial.
(slaɪv)
Forms: 5 slyvyn, slyfe, 5–6 slyve, slyue, 6 sliue, 6, 8– slive. pa. pple. 4 sleuyne, 5 sleuene, 6–7 sliuen, 7 sleeven, 7, 9 dial. sliven, 8–9 dial. sloven. Also pa. tense and pa. pple. 6 slyved, sliu'd, sliude, 7 sliued, 6– slived.
[OE. *sl{iacu}fan (the pa. tense occurs in the compound tó-sláf), app. not represented in the cognate languages.]
1. trans. To cleave, split, divide.
| 13.. in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1881) 455 Þaire cotis ware al to-reuyne And þaire lymmes in sondir sleuyne. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 459/2 Slyvyn a-sundyr, findo, effisso. 1558 T. Phaer æneid v. 96 With their stemmes y⊇ seas thei sliue. 1589 ? Lyly Pappe w. Hatchet E ij, Hee sliues one, has a fling at another. 1600 Surflet Countrie Farme iii. xlvii. 520 All trees which through force of winde..shall be clouen..or sliuen must be cured with mire. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. i. 135 They did cut downe a branch..and slived or cleft the same into slips. 1647 Hexham i, To Slit, cleave, or slive, klieven ofte splijten. 1703 Thoresby Let. to Ray, To Slive,..to rive. 1790 Grose Prov. Gloss. s.v. Sloven, The honours are sloven; i.e. equally divided. Spoken at the game of whist. 1819– in dial. glossaries, etc. (see Eng. Dial. Dict.). |
b. absol. To cut through something.
| 1558 T. Phaer æneid v. M iij, The fomy waters through thei sliue. |
2. To separate or remove by cutting or slicing; to take off in this manner.
| a 1400 Sir Cleges 211 A lytyll bowe he gan of slyve, And thowght to schewe yt to his wife. 1530 Palsgr. 722/1, I slyve a gylowfloure or any other floure from his braunche or stalke. 1575 Gascoigne Flowers Wks. p. lxxi, He sliude the gentle slippe, which could both twist and twind. 1594 Willobie Avisa (1880) 139 For hauing sliu'd the gentle slip, his loue was turnd to hate. 1601 Holland Pliny xiii. xxxiv, The trees may be replanted of the very truncheons,..slived and divided from the very brain (as it were) of the green tree. 1793 Trans. Soc. Arts XI. 76 When the knife has penetrated to about the half [of the potato], the other half should be slived or broken off. 1841 Hartshorne Salop. Ant. Gloss., Slive,..to cut away in slices, strip bark from a tree. 1854 A. E. Baker Northampt. Gloss., Slive, to..slice off any thing. |
Hence slived, sliven ppl. adjs.
† slived or sliven silk: see sleaved ppl. a.
| a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 55 b, Sodainly came oute..viii wyldemen, all apparayled in grene mosse, made with slyved sylke. 1575 Turberv. Faulconrie 214 They cannot flee or stirre their wings by mean of some broke or slived feathers. 1688 Holme Armoury ii. 86/1 A Sliven, Shivered, or Cloven Tree. Ibid. iii. 99/1 Gum Work, is by Gumming of several colours of sleeven Silk together. |
▪ III. slive, v.2 Now dial.
(slaɪv)
Forms: 5 slyue, 6, 9 slyve, 8– slive. pa. tense 5 slafe, 9 slove (dial. sluv, sliv). pa. pple. 5 sliven, 6 sleaven, 9 dial. slivven. Also pa. tense and pa. pple. 5, 9 slived, 6 slyued, 8 sliv'd.
[app. a variant of sleve v. (OE. sléfan), with conjugation assimilated to prec.]
1. trans. To cause to slip down, over, etc.; to slip on (a garment), put on hastily or carelessly.
| c 1410 Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) xxxiii, Þenne shulde þe hunter slyue [v.r. slefe] doune þe skynn as fer as he may. 1494 in Househ. Ordin. (1790) 121 With his furred hudd sliven over his head and rolled about his necke. Ibid. 130 Yf he weare not his robe, he must have his hoode slived about his necke. 15.. Bk. of Precedence in Q. Eliz. Acad. 25 Nether may any weare hoodes with a Rowle slyued ouer there heades, or other wayes being of that fashon. 1593 Rites & Mon. Church of Durham (Surtees) 79 All the pippes of it was of Sylver to be sleaven on a long speare staffe. 1820 Clare Poems (ed. 3) 145 When, unknown to her parents, Nell slove on her hat. 1828 Carr Craven Gloss. s.v., I'll slive my gown on and gang wi the. 1868 in Cleveland Gloss. |
b. To convey furtively or quietly.
| 1821 Clare Vill. Minstr. I. 54 Where her long-hoarded groat oft brings the maid, And secret slives it in the sybil's fist. Ibid. II. 88 To slive her apron corner to her eyes. |
2. intr. To slide; to slip. rare.
| c 1440 Alph. Tales 323 When he was at mes and sulde lifte, as þe vse is, his lyn slevis slafe bakk. 1530 Palsgr. 722/1, I slyve downe, I fall downe sodaynly, je coule. |
b. To slip off or away; to move quietly or slyly in some direction; to sneak or hang about; to loiter, idle.
| 1707 S. Centlivre Platonick Lady iv, I know her Gown agen—I minded her when she sliv'd off. 1725 Bailey Erasm. Colloq. 33 What are you sliving about you Drone? 1787 Grose Prov. Gloss., To slive, to sneak. 1820 Clare Poems (ed. 3) 59 Sun bid ‘good night’, and slove to bed. 1821 ― Vill. Minstr. I. 88 The cowboy oft slives down the brook. 1871 Peacock Ralf Skirl. II. 109 They'll believe he'd slive off into th' west country. |