slumbern.
/ˈslʌmbə/, U.S. /ˈsləmbər/ 1.
a. Sleep, repose. Chiefly poetic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [noun] > an instance or period of
sleepc1175
slumberingc1374
slumber?a1400
slaughtc1400
somniation1598
go-down1683
?a1400 Morte Arth. 3221 He..fore slewthe of slomowre one a slepe fallis.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 271/2 Slommer, somme, somneil.
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis iii. 49 With slumber is holden Eche liuing creature.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iii. iii. 59 Ere theise eyes of mine take themselues to slomber . View more context for this quotation
1637 J. Milton Comus 34 Young Adonis..Waxing well of his deepe wound In slumber soft.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 140 His Eyes with heavy Slumber overcast. View more context for this quotation
1757 T. Gray Ode I i. ii, in Odes 6 Quench'd in dark clouds of slumber.
1848 E. Bulwer-Lytton Harold II. vii. iv. 178 There was no further thought of slumber that night.
1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus Poems lxiv. 122 When her eyes lay bound in slumber's shadowy prison.
b. With possessive pronouns.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [noun]
sleepc825
swevenOE
swevetOE
repasta1382
slumberc1386
lib1665
the land of Nod1738
balmy1841
shut-eye1899
beddy-byes1906
dreamland1912
sleepy-bye1925
sack drill1946
sack duty1954
zed1973
c1386 G. Chaucer Miller's Tale 630 This carpenter out of hese slombir sterte.
c1402 J. Lydgate Compl. Black Knight 16 With a sigh I gan for to abreyde Out of my slombre.
1568 (?a1513) W. Dunbar in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1928) II. 147 Devysing in my slummer How þat this realme [etc.].
1616 W. Browne Britannia's Pastorals II. v. 126 Let this her slumber..Make her beleeue our loue was but a dreame!
1849 G. P. R. James Woodman I. ix. 166 The next instant, however, her slumber was broken.
2. A period or occasion of sleep or repose; frequently, a light or short sleep.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [noun] > an instance or period of > short or light
sloomOE
wink1362
napa1400
slumber1488
dog's sleep1560
dogsleep1674
(not) a wink of sleep1682
doze1731
snooze1793
snatch1820
forty winks1828
eyeful1860
snoose1912
caulk1917
zizz1941
α.
β. 1517 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1928) i. 10 Thus as I satte in a deedly slombre Of a grete horne I herde a ryall blast.1550 R. Crowley One & Thyrtye Epigrammes sig. Dv He fell in a sloumber.1611 C. Tourneur Atheist's Trag. (new ed.) v. sig. K1v No my Lord. Nor sleepe; nor wake. But in a slumber troublesome to both.1661 J. Dryden Coronation Charles II 42 Officious slumbers haste your eyes to close.1725 N. Robinson New Theory of Physick 319 If he takes none the first Night, his Slumbers may be more compos'd the following.1791 A. Radcliffe Romance of Forest I. i. 27 Madame La Motte..found her sunk in a disturbed slumber.1836 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece II. xi. 27 His youth..passed away in a preternatural slumber.1841 W. Spalding Italy & Ital. Islands I. 304 The Mons Vultur, which sheltered Horace's infant slumbers.1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) vii. l. 71 In that slummir cummand him thocht he saw Ane agit man.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 114 For werynes on me a slwmer soft Come.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 13285 Thai have no dainty of drynk,..But derkon euon down on a depe slomur.
1599 A. Hume Hymnes sig. E2v He makes the physicke take effect, the slummers soft he geifis.
3. figurative. A state or condition of repose, rest, inactivity, or quiescence.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > inaction > [noun]
sleepc897
restc1175
passibilityc1485
slumber1554
cessation1603
quiescence1625
torpor1626
quiescency1629
inaction1638
inactivity1640
vacation1644
unactiveness1647
non-acting1648
passiveness1648
requiescence1654
unactivity1654
inertness1661
passivity1667
inactiveness1678
unaction1698
stagnation1711
supinity1725
immechanism1740
inertion1756
repose1757
lifelessness1833
stagnancy1837
unawakenedness1879
stasis1920
1554 D. Lindsay Dialog Experience & Courteour l. 6300 in Wks. (1931) I Dreid nocht to dee; for deith is bot ane slummer.
1579 W. Wilkinson Confut. Familye of Loue f. 17v Your imagination is but the shadow of a slumber.
1605 G. Powel Refut. Epist. Apologeticall ix. 85 It was by reason of impunitie and slumber of Iustice.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall (1787) III. xxix. 132 The son of Theodosius passed the slumber of his life, a captive in his palace.
1797 W. Godwin Enquirer i. vi. 37 The human mind awoke from a slumber.
a1822 P. B. Shelley tr. P. Calderon Scenes from Magico Prodigioso in Posthumous Poems (1824) 374 Thou canst not Restore it [sc. a sword] to the slumber of its scabbard.
a1832 F. D. Maurice Moral & Metaphysical Philos. in Encycl. Metrop. (1845) II. 650/1 Those who teach that the powers of man woke at once from a deep slumber just at the beginning of the XVth Century.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a.
slumber-bed n.
ΚΠ
c1445 J. Lydgate Two Nightingale Poems 57 Oute of thy slombre-bed of slouth & sleep.
slumber-land n.
ΚΠ
1882 A. C. Swinburne Tristram of Lyonesse vi. 109 The great good wizard..Takes his strange rest at heart of slumberland.
1887 Illustr. London News 20 Aug. 217 We are half way to Slumberland.
b.
slumber-bound adj.
ΚΠ
1820 P. B. Shelley Two Spirits 30 Look from thy dull earth, slumber-bound.
c1840 E. B. Browning Isobel's Child ix The little mouth so slumber-bound.
slumber-closing adj.
ΚΠ
1798 W. Sotheby tr. C. M. Wieland Oberon v. lv. 164 Strive to unbolt their slumber-closing eye.
slumber-wrapt adj.
ΚΠ
1838 E. Cook Sailing Song i. 6 The slumber-wrapt might of the waves.
C2.
slumber cap n. a light, close-fitting cap of lace, ribbon, etc., worn in bed to keep the hair tidy.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > cap > types of > worn for specific purpose > night cap > types of
dowd?1750
dowdy1778
pirnie1824
slumber cap1928
slumber net1930
1928 Sunday Disp. 8 July 16 Shingle caps or slumber caps for the seaside..in Nottingham lace, bound with pink, blue or any coloured satin ribbon.
1932 Sale Catal. Dainty Slumber Cap in ecru cotton.
1971 ‘A. Gilbert’ Tenant for Tomb iii. 47 She rolled up the plaits under..a slumber cap, an affair of bright blue silk and lace and a ribbon bow.
slumber-cell n. Histology a cell supposed to exist in connective tissue, but which cannot be differentiated by any known histological methods.
ΚΠ
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXXI. 514/2 Under the title of ‘Slumber cells’, Grawitz drew attention to certain cells which he supposes to exist in connective tissues.
slumbercoach n. U.S. a railway car which provides economical private sleeping accommodation.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > railway wagon or carriage > carriage designed to carry passengers > sleeping car
Pullman car1867
bed-carriage1869
car1873
sleeper1875
wagon-lit1884
bunk-car1894
couchette1920
slumbercoach1958
1958 Washington Post 26 June c19/3 B & O charges regular coach fare plus $6 service charge for a single room..for its slumbercoaches, which are operated on only one train, the Baltimore-Washington-Chicago Columbian.
1979 United States 1980–1 (Penguin Travel Guides) 19 Long-distance trains offer sleeping accommodations..slumbercoaches, private rooms,..roomettes.
slumber net n. a slumber cap made of net.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > cap > types of > worn for specific purpose > night cap > types of
dowd?1750
dowdy1778
pirnie1824
slumber cap1928
slumber net1930
1930 J. Rhys After leaving Mr Mackenzie ii. xiii. 217 Out of the second door emerged a lady in a pink dressing~gown, with her hair hidden by a slumber-net.
1950 A. Wilson Such Darling Dodos 79 The artifice of the black waved hair..beneath the neat mesh of the slumber net.
1966 Olney Amsden & Sons Ltd. Price List 23 Hair and slumber nets.
slumber party n. U.S. a party for youngsters (esp. girls) who stay on to sleep overnight.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > social event > social gathering > party > [noun] > other parties
play-party1796
tail1837
surprise-party1840
street party1845
costume party1850
pound party1869
all-nighter1870
neighbourhood party1870
simcha1874
ceilidh1875
studio party1875
pounding1883
house party1885
private function1888
shower1893
kitchen shower1896
kitchen evening1902
bottle party1903
pyjama party1910
block party1919
house party1923
after-party1943
slumber party1949
office party1950
freeload1952
hukilau1954
BYOB1959
pot party1959
bush party1962
BYO1965
wrap party1978
bop1982
warehouse party1988
rave1989
1942 L. V. Berrey & M. Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §251/1 Sleep,..slumber party.]
1949 Senior Prom Nov. 22/2 For a girls' party you might have a brunch, lunch, dinner,..or slumber party.
1954 Life 26 Apr. 186/2 Because it was to be a slumber party, the 19 girls..came carrying pillows, blankets and floppy animals—but no one really expecting to get much sleep.
1974 A. Lurie War between Tates ix. 181 ‘I'm invited to Elsie's slumber party.’ ‘Oh? And what is a slumber party?’ ‘Don't you even know that? You have a party, and then you sleep overnight.’
slumber room n. U.S. a room in which a corpse is laid out by an undertaker until the funeral takes place.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > preparation or treatment of corpse > [noun] > mortuary
lich-housec1200
coffin-house1611
dead-house1812
dead-room1835
funeral house1850
mortuary1864
hearse-house1870
slumber room1936
1936 H. L. Mencken Amer. Lang. (ed. 4) vi. 287 When it [sc. the mortician's business] is achieved the patient is put into a casket and stored in the reposing room or slumber-room of a funeral-home.
1963 J. Mitford Amer. Way of Death iv. 61 The slumber rooms are elusively reminiscent of some other feature of American life... ‘So then you've got a slumber room tied up for three days or more,’ he said... ‘How much would it cost you to stay in a good motel for three days?’.. Motels for the dead! That's it, of course.
1979 Sun-Times (Chicago) 28 Sept. 4 Would it be considered improper to take a photograph of a deceased friend or relative in the slumber room during viewing hours?
slumberwear n. night-clothes.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > for specific purpose > nightwear
night-gear1560
nightclothes1567
nightdress?c1663
bed-apparel1822
nightwear1886
sleeping-suit1897
slumberwear1909
sleep-wear1935
sleepsuit1958
1909 Punch 24 Mar. 206/3 The famous house so long consecrated to the habiliments of Morpheus, or ‘slumberwear’, as of late we have been taught to call them.
1916 Chambers's Jrnl. June 388/2 Silk slumber-wear.
1928 Daily Mail 25 July 3/6 Meridian Underwear, Slumberwear and Bathing Wear.
1961 L. P. Hartley Two for River iv. 74 If he called her now she would probably be in bed, and come down in her nightgown or her pyjamas, or whatever slumberwear she favoured, and that would never do.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
slumberv.
/ˈslʌmbə/, U.S. /ˈsləmbər/ 1.
a. intransitive. To sleep, esp. to sleep lightly; to doze or drowse.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [verb (intransitive)] > for a short time or lightly
napeOE
slumberc1220
sloomc1275
wink1412
to take (also catch, have, steal, etc.) a (also one's) napa1425
to sleep a wink1542
drowse1598
jouka1652
doze1693
snooze1789
snoozle1831
zizz1942
α.
β. 1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. Prol. 10 As I lay..and lokede on þe watres, I slumberde in a slepyng.c1400 Rom. Rose 4005 He slombred, and a nappe he toke.c1485 Digby Myst. (1882) i. 302 To sle and morder yong children þat in þer cradell slumber.1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 722/1 He dothe nat slepe nowe, he dothe but slomber.1599 F. Thynne Animaduersions (1875) 56 He neyther slombrethe nor slepethe, but alwayes watchethe.1607 B. Jonson Volpone i. iv. sig. Cv Corb. Do's hee sleepe well? Mos. No winke, Sir, all this night, Nor yesterday, but slumbers . View more context for this quotation1681 J. Dryden Absalom & Achitophel 14 Like a Lyon, Slumbring in the way, Or Sleep-dissembling, while he waits his Prey.1746 P. Francis tr. Horace Art of Poetry 488 I..hold it for a Fault..If honest Homer slumber o'er his Muse.1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor viii, in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. III. 129 He ate without refreshment, and slumbered without repose.1878 R. Browning La Saisiaz Introd. ii Soul that canst soar! Body may slumber.in extended use.1825 T. Hook Sayings & Doings 2nd Ser. I. 320 Her..tooth-brush and nail-brush slumbered together in one small tray.c1220 Bestiary 576 in Old Eng. Misc. 18 Sipmen..slumeren and slepen, and to late waken.
a1340 R. Rolle Psalter lxxv. 6 Þai slomyrd þat steghe horsis.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 460/1 Slomeron, dormito, nictitor.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 8428 As þis burde was in bed.., slomeryng a while, Sho was affrayet full foule.
1561 N. Winȝet Cert. Tractates in Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 6 He nother slepis nor slummeris quha behaldis al ȝour doingis.
b. figurative. To lie at rest in death or the grave.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > [verb (intransitive)] > be dead
sleepc950
restOE
liea1000
to be deadc1000
to lie lowa1275
layc1300
to be gathered to one's fathersa1382
to be gathered to one's fathers1382
to sup with our Saviour, with Our (the) Lord, with (Jesus) Christa1400
repose1586
slumber1594
to sup in heaven or hell1642
to turn one's toes up to the daisies1842
to be out of the way1881
to push up daisiesa1918
to have had it1942
RIP1962
1594 W. Shakespeare Titus Andronicus ii. iv. 15 That I may slumber an [1600 in] eternall sleepe. View more context for this quotation
a1822 P. B. Shelley Death in T. J. Hogg Life Shelley (1858) I. 197 Say, victim of grief, wilt thou slumber with me?
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. i. ii. 13 The Dead all slumbering round it.
1851 H. W. Longfellow Golden Legend ii. 84 Underneath this mouldering tomb..Slumbers a great lord of the village.
2. figurative. To live in a state of inactivity or negligence; to remain or be sunk in sin, sloth, etc.; to be dilatory or tardy in doing something.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > inaction > disinclination to act or listlessness > be listless or lethargic [verb (intransitive)]
slumberc1380
dream1548
vegetate1740
moon1763
stagnate1774
maunder1775
Dianize1834
veg1979
c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 395 For siche occupacions and chargis maken prestis slepynge & slumbrynge in synne.
a1400 Relig. Pieces fr. Thornton MS. 58 Tho sawles..slomers noghte no slepis noghte in þe slowthe of fleschly lustes.
c1400 Rom. Rose 2576 Whyl thou so slomrest in that thought, That is so swete and delitable.
?1521 A. Barclay Bk. Codrus & Mynalcas sig. Aijv In slouthe thou slombrist, as buryed were thy song.
a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) iii. vi. 73 Ber. But you must not now slumber in it. Par. Ile about it this euening. View more context for this quotation
1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 161. ⁋3 I have always thought it unworthy of a wise man to slumber in total inactivity.
1788 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall V. li. 366 The successors of Alaric had slumbered in a long peace.
1851 ‘L. Mariotti’ Italy in 1848 vii. 459 That fatal security which had..allowed the Lombards to slumber on the mere fame of their exploits.
3.
a. Of things, faculties, etc.: To be dormant, inoperative, or quiescent.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > inaction > be inactive [verb (intransitive)]
sleepc897
restOE
slumber1582
1582 Bible (Rheims) 2 Pet. ii. 3 And their perdition [1611 their damnation] slumbereth not.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 24 Now conscience wakes despair That slumberd . View more context for this quotation
1727 D. Defoe Ess. Hist. Apparitions iii. 22 As the Scripture says in another Case, his Damnation slumbereth not.
1799 T. Campbell Pleasures of Hope & Other Poems i. 460 The might that slumbers in a peasant's arm.
1817 W. Scott Rob Roy I. v. 97 As my kinsman's politeness seems to be still slumbering.
1845 S. Austin tr. L. von Ranke Hist. Reformation in Germany (ed. 2) II. 383 We see the lowering tempest which slumbered behind this appearance of confidence.
b. To be calm, peaceful, or still.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > inaction > quietness or tranquillity > be quiet or tranquil [verb (intransitive)]
sleep1600
slumber1770
1770 O. Goldsmith Traveller (rev. ed.) 17 Dull as their lakes that slumber [1764 sleep] beneath the storm.
1817 W. Scott Rob Roy III. vi. 170 The clouds of mist which might otherwise have slumbered till morning on the valley.
1830 Ld. Tennyson Recoll. Arab. Nights viii, in Poems 53 The gardenbowers and grots Slumbered.
c. To flow, move along, sleepily or peacefully.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > flow [verb (intransitive)] > slowly or gently
trinkle1513
glide1526
soak1699
lapse1832
slumber1868
1868 N. Hawthorne Amer. Note-bks. (1879) II. 69 The stream..slumbers along.
a. transitive. To cause to sleep; to render inactive or inoperative; to dull or deaden. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > absence of emotion > make emotionally unfeeling [verb (transitive)] > deaden or dull the emotions
stupefy?a1425
dullc1440
benumbc1485
slumber?1533
extinguish1540
extinct1542
numb1561
damp1570
hebetate1574
daunt1581
frostbite1593
hebete1597
blunt1600
unedgea1625
engross1626
astonish1635
consopite1647
bate1649
opiate1650
blura1653
hebescate1657
torpefy1808
dozena1810
dullify1838
hebetize1845
chloroform1849
narcotize1852
sodden1863
vastate1892
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [verb (transitive)] > put to or cause to sleep
swevec725
to fall, lull, lay (bring obs.) asleepa1500
slumber?1533
soporate1623
insomniatea1657
to get off1836
sleepa1843
?1533 G. Du Wes Introductorie for to lerne Frenche sig. Ei v O fortune, sorowe encreasyng, and slombring all delyces.
1547 tr. A. de Marcourt Bk. Marchauntes (new ed.) b vj They haue so slombred, blinded, and abeasted the poore worlde.
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1954) VII. 82 To smother sinne from the eye of the world, or to slumber the eye of our owne conscience from the sight of sinne.
a1639 H. Wotton View Life & Death Duke of Buckingham in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ (1672) 232 To honest a deed after it was done, or to slumber his conscience in the doing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > inaction > quietness or tranquillity > make quiet or tranquil [verb (transitive)]
still1300
peasec1350
accoya1375
coyc1374
lullc1386
quiet1423
acquieta1535
calm1559
becalm1613
compose1615
slumber1622
unruffle1629
quieten1759
bestill1760
quietize1791
peace1864
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > inaudibility > make inaudible [verb (transitive)] > silence > stop a sound
still1390
extinguish1540
clamoura1616
unshouta1616
silence1617
slumber1622
clam1674
mash1930
1622 J. Donne Serm. XV. Verse XX. Chap. Iudges 4 This Song of Deborah were enough..to slumber any storme, to becalme any tempest.
1657 A. Farindon XXX. Serm. ii. i. 18 This is it, which alone is able to slumber this noise.
5.
a. To pass, spend, or waste (time) in sleep or slumber. Const. away, out, through; rarely without adverb.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [verb (transitive)]
sleepc825
slumber1749
to get one's head down1868
zizz1972
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones III. viii. ix. 208 She had slumbred away the Day, in order to sit up all Night. View more context for this quotation
1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 33. ⁋9 Rest..reposed herself in alcoves, and slumbered away the winter upon beds of down.
1820 W. Scott Monastery I. vi. 184 He would in other times have slumbered out his term of preferment with as much credit as any other ‘purple Abbot’.
1855 J. S. C. Abbott Hist. Napoleon II. i. 31 They slumbered away their remaining years in idleness.
b. To drive away, get rid of, by slumbering.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [verb (transitive)] > achieve a specific purpose by sleeping
sleep1481
sleep1565
sleep1761
slumber1829
1829 H. Blunt Hist. S. Peter (1832) 169 These reflections..had been slumbered fruitlessly away.
Derivatives
ˈslumbered adj. rare. sleeping; unconscious.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > physical insensibility > unconsciousness > [adjective]
insensible1426
senselessa1547
deadly1548
unsensible1568
slumbered1590
exanimate1619
lifeless1668
unconscious1832
impassive1846
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > [adjective] > asleep
sleepingc1374
sleeper1530
slumbered1590
dormant1623
dormient1643
reposing1655
dormitory1797
shut-eye1899
flaked (out)1942
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. vii. sig. F8 Then vp he tooke the slombred sencelesse corse.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
<
n.c1386
v.c1220- beet-growing
- beet-mister
- beet-need
- beet-raves
- beet-sugar
- beeter
- beetgrower
- beetgrowing
- beethovenesque
- beethovenian
- beethovenish
- beethovenized
- beethronged
- beeting
- beetle
- beetle bank
- beetle drive
- beetle-back
- beetle-backed
- beetle-beaten
- beetle-blind
- beetle-brain
- beetle-browed
- beetle-crusher
- beetle-crushing