slope

English

Etymology

From aslope (adjective, adverb).

Pronunciation

(General American) IPA^(key): /sloʊp/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /sləʊp/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -əʊp

Noun

A sign indicating a road with a 25% gradient slope in Elenith, Wales

slope (countable and uncountable, plural slopes)

An area of ground that tends evenly upward or downward.
I had to climb a small slope to get to the site.
a steep slope
The degree to which a surface tends upward or downward.
The road has a very sharp downward slope at that point.
(mathematics) The ratio of the vertical and horizontal distances between two points on a line; zero if the line is horizontal, undefined if it is vertical.
The slope of this line is 0.5
(mathematics) The slope of the line tangent to a curve at a given point.
The slope of a parabola increases linearly with x.
The angle a roof surface makes with the horizontal, expressed as a ratio of the units of vertical rise to the units of horizontal length (sometimes referred to as run).
The slope of an asphalt shingle roof system should be 4:12 or greater.
(vulgar, offensive, ethnic slur) A person of Chinese or other East Asian descent.

Synonyms

(area of ground that tends evenly upward or downward): bank, embankment, gradient, hill, incline
(degree to which a surface tends upward or downward): gradient
(mathematics): first derivative, gradient
(offensive: Chinese person): Chinaman, Chink

Translations

area of ground that tends evenly upward or downward

Arabic: مُنْحَدَر‎ m (munḥadar)
Hijazi Arabic: دحديرة‎ f (duḥdēra), نزلة‎ f (nazla), مُنْحدر‎ m (munḥadar)
Azerbaijani: yamac (az)
Bulgarian: стръмнина (bg) f (strǎmnina), наклон (bg) m (naklon)
Catalan: pendent (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 斜坡 (zh) (xiépō), 坡 (zh) (pō)
Czech: svah (cs) m
Danish: skråning (da) c
Dutch: helling (nl) f
Eastern Bontoc: tichang, neng-tatangilig
Esperanto: deklivo
Finnish: rinne (fi)
French: pente (fr) f
Galician: costa f, pendente (gl) f, pendilleira f, engrido m, quella f, barga f, buenza f, barronca f, talude m
German: Steigung (de) f, Hang (de) m, Abhang (de) m
Greek:
Ancient: κλίμα n (klíma), κλειτύς f (kleitús)
Hungarian: (upward) emelkedő (hu), (downward) lejtő (hu)
Icelandic: brekka (is) f, hlíð (is) f
Ilocano: bakras
Indonesian: lereng (id)
Irish: fána f (downward), caitheamh le fána m (downward), sléim f (downward), ardú m (upward)
Italian: pendio (it) m
Japanese: 坂 (ja) (saka), 坂道 (sakamichi), スロープ (ja) (surōpu), 傾斜 (ja) (けいしゃ, keisha), 勾配 (ja) (こうばい, kōbai)
Kabuverdianu: ladera
Kyrgyz: эңкейиш (ky) (eŋkeyiş)
Latin: clīvus m
Lubuagan Kalinga: challug
Malay: lereng
Maori: panaunga, tahataha, tāwhatinga, aupaki, harapaki (if steep), pīnakitanga (gentle), taiheke (going downwards), takaripa (if steep), tāwhati, tūpaki, rapaki, pānaunau (Gentle)
Middle English: hange
Norwegian: skråning (no) f, bakke (no) m, oppoverbakke m, nedoverbakke m
Occitan: penda f, pendís (oc) m, travèrs (oc) m, penjal (oc) m
Polish: zbocze (pl) n, skarpa (pl) f, stok (pl) m
Portuguese: ladeira (pt) f, declive (pt) m, vertente (pt) f, inclinação (pt) f
Romanian: pantă (ro) f
Russian: склон (ru) m (sklon), скат (ru) m (skat), отко́с (ru) m (otkós)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: о̀бронак m, падина f, нагиб
Roman: òbronak (sh) m, pàdina (sh) f, nagib (sh) m
Slovak: svah m
Slovene: klanec m, pobočje n
Southern Kalinga: songarab
Spanish: pendiente (es) f, cuesta (es) f
Swahili: mteremko (sw)
Swedish: brant (sv) c, sluttning (sv) c, backe (sv) c, slänt (sv) c
Tagalog: dalisdis, libis, gulod
Telugu: వాలు (te) (vālu)
Turkish: yamaç (tr)
Ukrainian: схил m (sxyl), на́хил m (náxyl)
Welsh: rhiw m or f
Zazaki: sud n
ǃXóõ: ǃāho

degree to which a surface tends upward or downward

Arabic: مَيْل‎ (mayl)
Hijazi Arabic: ميل‎ m (mēl)
Azerbaijani: əydəm
Bulgarian: наклон (bg) m (naklon)
Catalan: desnivell m, pendent (ca) m, inclinació (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 斜率 (zh) (xiélǜ), 斜度 (zh) (xiédù)
Czech: stoupání n
Dutch: helling (nl) f, steilte (nl) f, glooiing (nl) f
Finnish: kaltevuus (fi), jyrkkyys (fi)
French: pente (fr) f, inclinaison (fr) f
Galician: pendente (gl) f, pente (gl) f
German: Steigung (de) f (upward), Gefälle (de) n (downward)
Hungarian: meredekség (hu), emelkedés (hu), lejtés (hu)
Icelandic: halli m
Irish: céim fhána f
Italian: pendenza (it) f
Japanese: 傾斜角 (けいしゃかく, keishakaku), 傾斜 (ja) (けいしゃ, keisha), 勾配 (ja) (こうばい, kōbai)
Norwegian: stigning m, helling f
Polish: pochylenie (pl) n
Portuguese: inclinação (pt) f
Romanian: pantă (ro) f
Russian: укло́н (ru) m (uklón), накло́н (ru) m (naklón)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: падина f
Roman: pàdina (sh) f
Slovak: sklon m, stúpanie
Slovene: naklon m, strmina f
Spanish: desnivel (es) m, inclinación (es) f
Tagalog: hilig
Zazaki: meyıl, sebcêre

mathematics

Bulgarian: накло́н (bg) m (naklón)
Catalan: inclinació (ca) f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 斜率 (zh) (xiélǜ)
Czech: sklon (cs) m
Danish: hældning c
Dutch: richtingscoëfficient, helling (nl)
Finnish: kulmakerroin (fi)
French: pente (fr) f
Galician: pendente (gl) f
German: Steigung (de) f
Greek: εφαπτομένη (el) f (efaptoméni), συντελεστής διεύθυνσης m (syntelestís diéfthynsis)
Hungarian: meredekség (hu)
Italian: inclinazione (it) f
Japanese: 傾斜率 (けいしゃりつ, keisharitsu), 傾斜 (ja) (けいしゃ, keisha), 勾配 (ja) (こうばい, kōbai)
Polish: nachylenie (pl) n
Portuguese: tangente (pt) f, gradiente (pt) m
Romanian: pantă (ro) f
Russian: накло́н (ru) m (naklón)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: косѝна f
Roman: kosìna (sh) f
Slovak: sklon m
Slovene: strmina f
Spanish: inclinación (es)
Tagalog: hilig
Zazaki: cêrên (diq)

math: slope of the line tangent to a curve at a given point

Finnish: gradientti (fi)
French: pente (fr) f
German: Steigung (de) f, Ableitung (de) f, Gradient (de) m
Portuguese: tangente (pt) f, inclinação (pt) f
Romanian: pantă (ro) f
Spanish: pendiente (es) f
Tagalog: hilig

angle of a roof surface

Bulgarian: наклон (bg) (naklon)
Finnish: kaltevuus (fi)
German: Dachschräge (de) f
Portuguese: inclinação (pt) f
Spanish: pendiente (es) f

offensive: person of East Asian descent

Dutch: spleetoog (nl)
Estonian: kili
Finnish: vinosilmä (fi)
German: Schlitzauge (de) n, Schlitzi m or f
Hungarian: ferde szemű
Indonesian: sipit (id), mata sipit (id)
Italian: muso giallo m
Polish: żółtek (pl) m
Portuguese: amarelo (pt) m, olho puxado m
Russian: узкогла́зый (ru) m (uzkoglázyj), косогла́зый (ru) m (kosoglázyj)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: косооки m
Roman: kosooki (sh) m
Spanish: ojo chueco, chuequito m

Verb

slope (third-person singular simple present slopes, present participle sloping, simple past and past participle sloped)

(intransitive) To tend steadily upward or downward.
The road slopes sharply down at that point.
- 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXIII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, OCLC 4293071:
  If the afternoon was fine they strolled together in the park, very slowly, and with pauses to draw breath wherever the ground sloped upward. The slightest effort made the patient cough.
- 1946 July and August, K. Westcott Jones, “Isle of Wight Central Railway—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 244:
  St. Lawrence Station is very prettily situated, high cliffs on the left, and the lush vegetation of the Undercliff sloping down to the sea on the right.
(transitive) To form with a slope; to give an oblique or slanting direction to; to incline or slant.
to slope the ground in a garden; to slope a piece of cloth in cutting a garment
(colloquial, usually followed by a preposition) To try to move surreptitiously.
I sloped in through the back door, hoping my boss wouldn't see me.
(military) To hold a rifle at a slope with forearm perpendicular to the body in front holding the butt, the rifle resting on the shoulder.
The order was given to "slope arms".

Derived terms

North Slope Borough
ski slope
slippery slope
Slope County
sloping

Translations

to tend steadily upward or downward

Bulgarian: наклонявам се (naklonjavam se)
Danish: skråne
Dutch: glooien (nl)
Finnish: viettää (fi)
Hungarian: lejt (hu), dől (hu)
Icelandic: halla
Icelandic: halla
Italian: (ground) ^{(please verify)} digradare (it), (floor) ^{(please verify)} pendere (it), ^{(please verify)} essere in pendenza, (writing) ^{(please verify)} essere inclinato
Maori: kotautau, pīnaki, auroro, kōtautau, (w)hirinaki
Portuguese: inclinar (pt)
Swedish: stupa (sv)
Tuwali Ifugao: tigging

to form with a slope

Bulgarian: скосявам (skosjavam)
Finnish: kallistaa (fi), tehdä kallistus
Hungarian: megdönt (hu), lejtőssé tesz, lejtősen alakít ki
Maori: whakataiheke

to try to move surreptitiously

Bulgarian: офейквам (bg) (ofejkvam)
Dutch: sluipen (nl)
Finnish: livahtaa (fi), hiipiä (fi)
Hungarian: oson (hu), lopózik (hu), lopódzik (hu), lopakodik (hu), surran (hu), (slang) lóg (hu)
Italian: ^{(please verify)} muoversi furtivamente
Kyrgyz: эңкейүү (ky) (eŋkeyüü)

military: to hold a rifle at a slope

Bulgarian: държа "на рамо" (dǎrža "na ramo")
Finnish: pitää olalla

Adjective

slope (comparative more slope, superlative most slope)

(obsolete) Sloping.
- 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Gardens”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, OCLC 863521290:
  A bank not steep, but gently slope.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:
  Down the slope hills.

Adverb

slope (comparative more slope, superlative most slope)

(obsolete) slopingly
- 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the book number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:
  So promis'd he; and Uriel to his charge
  Return'd on that bright beam , whose point now rais'd ,
  Bore him slope downward to the sun

Anagrams

LEPOs, Poles, S-pole, eslop, lopes, olpes, poles, spole

Dutch

Pronunciation

Audio (file)

Verb

slope

(archaic) singular past subjunctive of sluipen
(archaic) singular present subjunctive of slopen

Anagrams

sloep, spoel