Etymology Map
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Slew

2 stages from Old Irish to English.

Today it means a large number or quantity

Where does the word "slew" come from? It comes from Old Irish slúag, adopted directly into English (1839).

1
Stage 1 of 2
slúag
Old Irish · medieval
"host, crowd"
'host, army'; joined with gairm 'cry' as sluagh-ghairm, the battle cry, it is also the source of English 'slogan'
2
Stage 2 of 2
slew
American English · 1839
"a large number"
first recorded in the US in 1839, in decades of heavy Irish immigration that peaked with the Great Famine of 1845-52
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Read the full story

Slew’s story begins in Old Irish: slúag meant “host, crowd.” 'host, army'; joined with gairm 'cry' as sluagh-ghairm, the battle cry, it is also the source of English 'slogan'. It reached English by 1839 as slew. First recorded in the US in 1839, in decades of heavy Irish immigration that peaked with the Great Famine of 1845-52. Today, slew means a large number or quantity.