slew I. past of slay II. variant of slough III. variant of slue IV. noun alsoslue\ˈslü\ (-s) Etymology: Irish Gaelic sluagh : a large number or quantity : lot < a whole slew of uptown rowdies — Paul Gallico > < had slews of work — Conrad Richter > V. noun (-s) Etymology: origin unknown : filling consisting of usually three rods worked together — see basket illustration